RAYMOND 


BY 


HENRY  MORRIS  MOORE,  B.  D.  A.  B. 


RAYMOND 


HOW  A  BOY  BECAME  A  MAN  BY 
HIS  OWN  EFFORTS 


DEDICATED  TO  MY  SCHOOLMATES  AND 
FRIENDS 


BY 
HENRY  MORRIS  MOORE,   B.   D.  A.  B. 


1911 

OULLA  &  MORROW 

PRINTERS  AND  BINDERS 

315  North  Main  Street 

Anderson,  S.  C. 


SRLF 
URL 


PREFACE 


TX  sending-  forth  this  little  volume  the  author 
hopes  and  prays  that  some  youth  hitherto  dis- 
couraged shall  catch  inspiration  and  cheerfully 
plod  the  rugged  road  until  he  reaches  the  goal. 
Many  a  person  fails  because  the  path  of  success 
seldom,  if  ever,  lies  through  the  flowered  gardens 
of  earth.  There  must  be  will,  backed  up  by  cour- 
age, if  you  determine  to  rise  despite  the  ghost  of 
seeming  failures.  The  character  of  this  volume  is 
a  fair  illustration  of  this. 

There  has  been  no  effort  or  attempt  at  flowers : 
these  have  been  left  to  the  writers  who  did  not 
have  to  acquire  this  ability.  Plainness  and  every- 
day words  have  been  used  in  this  work,  hoping  to 
convey  the  truth  in  a  manner  that  w  ill  satisfy  the 
reader. 

For  criticism  and  suggestions  I  am  indebted 
to  Prof.  E.  C.  McCants,  Superintendent  of  the  City 


iv  PREFACE 

High  School,  and  Prof.  Robertson,  of  Columbia, 
S.  C. 

If,  after  reading-  these  pages  with  care,  one   is 
made  to  feel  like  making  the  most  of  his  life,  I  shall 
feel  that  my  effort  has  not  been  in  vain. 
H.  M.  MOORE, 
Pastor  St.  Paul  Baptist  Church, 

Anderson,  S.  C. 
February  22,  1911. 


RAYMOND 


CHAPTER   I. 

HIS    IJIRTH. 

WHILE  the  darkness  of  an  autumn  night  was 
gradually^  disappearing,  giving-  place  to  a 
light  that  was  becoming  visible  in  the  distant  East, 
there  was  a  heart  throbbing  with  joy,  and  then 
with  sorrow,  which  was  cheered  only  by  the  melo- 
dious voice  of  a  twittering  swallow  that  rang  out 
from  among  the  branches  of  an  old  0:1  k  that  stood 
in  the  back  yard.  The  crowing  of  the  cock,  which 
seemed  to  be  making  known  to  his  neighbors  that 
day  was  breaking,  had  died  away,  and  he  was  lead- 
ing his  companions  out  to  their  daily  occupation, 
when  the  door  of  the  little  two-room  cottage  swung 
open  as  if  to  admit  the  morning  breeze,  The  sun 
now  begins  to  come  forth,  "which  is  a  bridegroom 
coming  out  of  his  chamber,"  flooding  the  earth 
with  his  brilliant  light.  It  did  not  appear  too  soon. 
Doubtless  no  place  on  earth  needed  his  light  more 
than  this  humble  home.  Surely  the  king  of  the 
day  understood  his  mission,  for  the  door  had  scarcely 
opened  before  his  light  had  filled  every  nook  and 


6  RAYMOND 

corner  of  the  room,  which  served  to  gladden  the 
heart  of  a  poor  destitute  woman  and  made  her  feel 
that  God  had  not  forsaken  her. 

Now,  six  weeks  had  left  their  records  full  of 
events  to  brighten  the  pages  of  the  community's 
history,  so  the  whole  talk  of  the  vicinity  was: 
"What  will  poor  Betty  do  with  that  little  boy?" 
The  father  had  gone  to  town  six  months  before  the 
child's  birth  to  purchase  a  home,  for  he  said: 
"There  is  nothing  to  be  made  on  the  farm,"  he, 
therefore,  decided  to  change  his  business  so  that  he 
could  better  care  for  his  family  as  he  had  long  de- 
sired. His  whereabouts  had  become  as  great  a 
mystery  as  his  purchasing  a  home  in  town  without 
money  or  friends.  It  was  not  expected  that  Betty's 
sister,  who  had  willingly  left  her  home  for  a  month 
and  had  done  all  that  she  could  to  add  to  her  com- 
fort, would  remain  there.  Neither  did  it  seem  wise 
for  Mrs.  Alston  to  give  up  housekeeping  and  at- 
tempt to  rear  her  son  in  a  family  with  other  chil- 
dren. The  neighbors  had  suggested  this  and  that 
for  the  poor  woman  to  do  until  they  had  exhausted 
all  the  resources  of  the  whole  community,  and  fin- 
ally landed  upon  the  spot  from  which  they  had 
started  six  weeks  before,  each  one  ending,  "I  don't 
know  what  poor  Betty  will  do  with  that  little  boy." 
It  is  amusing  to  carefully  note  the  interest  assumed 
in  one's  affairs  on  a  plantation,  especially  if  these 
affairs  are  beyond  the  ordinary  happenings  of  the 
place.  Each  one  seems  to  know  what  ought  to 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  7 

be  clone  when  the  matter  belongs  to  another  person 
and  will  give  advice  unsolicited. 

"I  can  better  teach  twenty  what  was  good  to 
be  done  than  to  be  one  of  the  twenty  to  follow  my 
own  instructions." 

This  problem  must  be  solved,  not  by  her  rela- 
tives or  friends,  but  by  herself.  Here  she  is  left  in 
a  two-room  cottage  to  await  the  return  of  the  man 
who  had  pledged,  not  to  her  alone,  but  before  a 
crowded  church  a  little  more  than  twelve  months 
ago,  that  he  would  "love,  honor,  cherish,  protect; 
forsaking  all  others  in  sickness  as  well  as  in  health, 
in  adversity  as  well  as  in  prosperity;  and  cleave 
unto  her  as  long  as  they  both  shall  live."  She 
now  begins  to  examine  her  conduct  with  him  from 
the  day  she  had  pledged  her  all  to  him,  but  there 
was  nothing  discovered  by  her  that  would  in  the 
least  justify  such  an  act  on  his  part.  Then  she 
thinks  for  a  moment  and  tries  hard  to  decide  that 
after  all  he  did  not  really  love  her.  Her  mind  now 
runs  back  over  the  five  years  that  they  were  lovers, 
and  she  recalls  how  he  appeared  perfectly  happy 
only  when  he  was  in  her  presence.  She  is  reminded 
of  the  pleasant  faces  of  Ella  and  Bertha  who  \vould 
have  given  half  the  world  if  they  could  have  won 
his  affections,  and  even  though  they  were  better 
educated  and  their  parents  were  in  better  circum- 
stances, making  the  inducements  on  their  side 
much  more  desireable  than  on  hers,  nevertheless, 
Frank  had  declared  to  her  over  and  over  again 


8  RAYMOND 

that  if  he  did  not  marry  her  he  would  die  a  broken 
hearted  bachelor.  She  recalled  again,  when  there 
was  a  little  misunderstanding  between,  them  and 
she  decided  that  it  would  be  better  for  them  to 
cease  their  correspondence,  and  wrote  him  to  that 
effect,  how  he  almost  lost  his  mind.  How,  when 
his  sister,  Maude,  came  and  spent  a  night  with  her, 
who  declared  that  he  did  not  intend  to  mar  her 
feelings  when  he  said  that  he  would  not  come  to 
her  home  any  more  because  she  did  not  receive 
him  on  the  evening  when  he  called  unexpectedly. 
With  these,  and  a  score  of  other  evidences,  as  they 
arose  one  by  one  before  her  vision,  it  was  not  diffi- 
cult to  conclude  that  he  firmly  loved  her.  Yet 
there  must  be  reasons  assigned  for  the  action  of 
her  husband  which  had  been  so  freely  and  frequently 
condemned  by  others  as  well  as  by  her  relatives, 
and  she  had  the  unpleasant  task  of  assigning  these 
reasons.  It  is  not  like  a  loving  wife  to  see  her 
husband's  faults  however  numerous.  Therefore,  she 
finally  decides,  that  because  his  landlord  refused  to 
allow  him  to  connect  to  his  farm  a  certain  five- 
acre  patch  near  his  house,  in  which  she  might  work 
and  save  her  the  long  walk  of  a  mile  to  his  farm, 
he  became  disgusted  and  left  the  plantation.  The 
excuse  that  there  is  nothing  to  be  made  on  the 
farm,  etc.,"  was  only  a  pretex  of  getting  off.  As 
she  thus  reasoned  and  decided  in  his  favor  she  was 
unconsciously  justifying  his  action.  Oh,  woman's 
love,  thou  art  blind! 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  9 

The  chilly  winter  had  sent  a  heavy  frost  as  a 
forerunner  to  warn  those  who  had  failed  on  their 
farms  that  it  would  show  no  favors  to  the  poorly 
clad.  The  landlord  had  given  notice  on  the  plan- 
tation that  because  of  the  short  crops  and  the  very 
low  price  of  cotton  that  he  could  not  advance 
money  as  he  had  done  before.  Furthermore,  he 
had  about  decided  that  he  wanted  no  one  on  his 
plantation  who  could  not  work  a  full  farm.  An 
application  had  been  sent  in  during  the  summer  for 
the  place  which  Frank  had  left,  and  the  application 
was  from  one  of  Frank's  supposed  friends,  who  had 
informed  the  landlord  all  about  his  leaving  and  de- 
clared that  he  would  never  return  to  the  farm  again, 
which  up  to  the  present  had  proven  true.  It  was 
not  so  serious  with  the  rest  as  it  was  with  Mrs. 
Alston.  While  they  all  seemed  to  be  sorry  for  her 
no  one  could  sympathize  with  her,  save  old  Aunt 
Adeline,  whose  husband  was  sold  to  slave  traders 
twenty  years  before  the  Civil  War,  and  her  advice 
was:  "Betty,  you  had  better  pray,  child,  for  your 
husband  has  done  left  you  for  good."  The  advice 
was  gladly  received  and  tended  to  encourage  and 
strengthen  the  faith  that  she  had  in  the  Christ  whom 
she  had  learned  to  love  and  trust  from  her  tenth 
year  until  now. 

Early  one  morning,  after  having  wrestled  with 
the  Angel  of  Faith  for  means  of  support  in  her 
poverty-stricken  condition,  her  prayers  were  an- 
swered. She  had  spent  the  first  part  of  that  cold 


10  RAYMOND 

night  in  prayer,  while  the  earth  without  was  robing 
herself  with  a  garment  of  white.  The  barrel  had 
been  robbed  of  its  last  dust  of  flour  to  make  a  small 
cake  for  her  supper,  which  she  ate,  and  drank  a 
glass  of  water,  meanwhile  tears  fell  gently  from  her 
eyes,  then,  in  deep  meditation,  she  sat  before  a  glow- 
ing fire  whose  light  threw  her  huge  shadow  upon 
the  wall  making  the  appearance  of  a  ghost.  The 
only  comfort  she  had,  if  not  a  discomfort,  was  little 
Raymond,  who  occupied  an  old  fashioned  cradle  at 
her  right,  and  acted  as  if  he  were  not  to  be  slighted, 
for  he  yelled  so  loudly  all  at  once  that  it  interrupted 
her  meditation,  then  she  quickly  seized  him  and 
said:  "Hush  boy,  or  your  papa  will  not  love  you." 
Then  she  waited  as  if  to  listen  for  his  footsteps  at 
the  door.  But,  alas,  no  sound  was  heard  save  that 
of  the  falling  snow.  She  wept  aloud.  Then  hur- 
rying to  bed,  she  failed  to  kneel  at  the  bedside  to 
pray,  as  her  custom  was,  for  the  prayer  was  too  long. 
The  amen  had  not  been  reached  when  she  fell  to 
sleep  a  short  while  before  day,  and  when  she  awoke 
the  words  of  the  petition  were  still  lingering  upon 
her  lips  as  though  she  had  not  slept.  Taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  little  boy's  morning  nap,  she  hurried 
to  the  well  for  a  bucket  of  water.  Much  to  her 
surprise  she  found  Mr.  Lawson  at  the  well — the 
wealthy  landlord  of  the  plantation  on  which  she  was 
living — who  had  made  a  fire  in  his  stove  and  was 
preparing  to  fill  his  kitchen  buckets  with  water,  then 
go  to  her  house  to  deliver  a  message  from  his  wife. 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  11 

"Betty,"  he  said,  "Airs.  Lawson  and  I  have 
spent  a  very  restless  night  solely  on  your  account. 
We  have  every  reason  to  believe  you  are  indeed  a 
very  worthy  woman,  yet  you  have  been  deserted 
by  a  worthless  man  and,  too,  there  is  a  child  left 
to  your  care  and  no  one  to  assist  you." 

She  stood  trembling-  before  him  as  did  that 
woman  who  had  touched  the  garments  of  Christ 
and  was  made  whole. 

"Mrs.  Lawson,"  he  continued,  "Says  that  your 
grandfather  was  her  Uncle  Joe's  carriage  driver 
and  she  can't  help  feeling  sorry  for  you,  so  we 
have  decided  to  let  you  have  the  house  in  our  yard 
and  your  board  and  pay  you  $4  per  month  to  cook 
for  us.  Now,  if  you  will  accept  this  proposition, 
we  will  move  you  today." 

This,  in  some  respects,  resembles  the  case  of  the 
Samaritan  woman  who  met  the  Saviour  at  Jacob's 
well,  and,  after  listening  to  His  words  of  wisdom, 
perceived  that  He  was  a  prophet,  ran  away,  leaving 
her  water  pot.  Poor  Betty  did  not  tell  him  that 
she  would  consider  the  proposition,  neither  did  she 
carry  her  bucket  full  or  empty  to  her  house.  She 
wept  so  loudly  that  Mrs.  Lawson  \vas  moved  with 
sorrow  and  came  out  of  the  old  mansion  and  ac- 
companied her  home  and  bore  little  Raymond 
back  in  her  own  arms,  while  the  mother  brought 
the  cradle  on  her  shoulder  and  placed  it  in  the 
kitchen.  Breakfast  was  soon  prepared  and  over, 
but  the  new  cook  failed  to  eat  for  she. had  meat  of 


12  RAYMOND 

which  they  knew  not.  While  the  hands  moved 
her  furniture,  she  was  still  praising  Him  for  the 
answered  prayer.  She  blessed  over  and  over  Aunt 
Adeline  for  having  advised  her  in  that  old  fash- 
ioned way  to  pray.  She  thought  what  a  glorious 
privilege  it  is  to  have  one  who  could  be  touched 
with  the  feelings  of  one  in  sorrow.  How,  just  last 
night,  she  had  dusted  her  barrel  and  this  morning 
she  has  many  barrels  at  her  disposal.  The  more 
she  thought  of  her  new  surroundings  the  more  she 
felt  like  weeping.  Despite  of  all  that,  somehow  it 
would  occur  to  her,  "What  if  Frank  would  come 
home  now,'  couldn't  I  make  him  happy?" 

Ere  the  close  of  the  day  the  news  has  suddenly 
been  flashed  over  the  whole  community,  as  if  by 
wireless  telegraphy,  of  Betty's  new  home,  but  no 
one  seemed  to  be  responsible  for  the  circulation. 
Then  the  talk:  "What  will  poor  Betty  do  with  the 
little  boy?"  had  suddenly  changed  into,  "Its  a  good 
thing  that  he  has  gone.  She  will  certainly  do  well 
now  for  every  one  knows  that  Mrs.  Lawson  is  a 
good  woman,  only  she  is  a  little  close  with  what 
she  has." 

Here  Mrs.  Alston  spent  three  very  pleasant 
yet  very  laborious  years.  Never  before  had  it  en- 
tered her  mind  that  she  would  be  forced  to  cook, 
wash  and  iron  for  her  own  support,  much  less  that 
of  her  family.  The  jolly  good  days  upon  the  farm 
of  her  girlhood  had  left  a  fondness  that  could  hardly 
be  gratified  elsewhere.  The  more  she  listened  to 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  13 

the  humming  bees,  the  twittering  birds,  the  singing 
of  the  boys  and  girls  and,  too,  occasionally  the 
trembling  yet  musical  voices  of  the  elder  people  as 
they  chanted  the  good  old  spiritual  songs  that  were 
sung  at  church,  which  songs  she  had  not  the  priv- 
ilege of  singing  in  the  choir  as  of  old,  the  more  she 
longed  for  the  liberty  that  the  farm  afforded.  This 
longing  must  be  gratified  at  any  cost.  When  she 
told  Mrs.  Lawson  six  months  before  the  end  of  the 
year  that  she  would  not  burn  out  her  eyes  over  the 
hot  stove  any  more  after  that  year,  it  was  received 
as  an  idle  tale.  But  there  was  no  persuasion  so 
strong,  no  argument  so  plausible,  as  to  change  her 
mind,  for  she  was  resolved  to  return  to  the  cotton 
fields. 

On  Christmas  eve  morning,  when  she  pre- 
sented herself  for  a  settlement,  Mr.  Lawson  at- 
tempted to  employ  her  to  fill  the  place  another 
year,  which  she  had  held  with  credit  and  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  his  wife  for  more  than  three 
years.  But  she  refused  on  the  grounds  that  she 
preferred  to  work  on  the  farm.  Thinking  that  if 
he  offered  her  no  work  on  the  farm  after  the  holi- 
days were  over  that  she  would  return  to  her  former 
occupation.  But  the  sun  did  not  make  its  way 
across  the  heavens,  leaving  the  earth  in  darkness, 
before  this  woman  was  employed  on  another  plan- 
tation three  miles  away.  There  she  began  life 
anew. 


CHAPTER  II. 

HIS    FIRST    SCHOOL    EXPERI  KXCK. 

"TV /TAXY  a  mother  in  the  rural  districts  has  made 
•W-*-  sacrifices  for  their  children's  schooling-,  and 
if  they  were  told,  would  sound  fictitious.  If  Mrs. 
Betty  Alston  would  head  the  list  her  place  would  be 
that  of  merit  and  not  of  favor.  In  those  dark  days 
of  ignorance  and  superstition  among-  her  people, 
she  stood  ready  to  join  in  with  the  few  men  who 
were  equally  as  anxious  about  their  sons  and 
daughters,  to  better  the  school  conditions.  There 
was  no  meeting  of  the  public  for  the  consideration 
of  the  education  of  the  children  but  that  she  was 
not  present,  not  as  a  silent  witness  but  as  a  ready 
speaker,  for  she  would  often  address  the  audience 
upon  the  school  affairs  as  she  saw  it,  and  showed 
the  necessity  of  lengthening  the  school  term  from 
three  to  six  months.  Furthermore,  she  would  be 
among  the  first  to  pay  her  son's  tuition  in  advance. 
"Whatever  this  boy  amounts  to  in  the  future  we 
must  not  forget  that  in  the  background  there  was  a 
mother. 

At  the  age  of  six  Raymond  became  a  student 
in  the  public  school.  The  announcement  of  the 
opening. of  school  had  been  made  at  church  on 
Sunday  which  fully  settled  it  in  his  mind  as  a  fact. 
It  was  a  problem,  however,  before  going,  how  one 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  15 

man  could  teach  so  many  children,  for,  as  he  under- 
stood the  matter,  every  child  in  the  whole  world 
was  to  be  there.  He  had  asked  his  mother  about 
'every  boy  and  girl  that  he  could  think  of,  and  she 
said  that  all  of  the  children  were  going-,  and  that 
he  must  ask  no  more  questions,  but  wait  until  to- 
morrow. It  was  a  long  time  to  wait,  thought  he. 

His  bed  hour  having  arrived  two  hours  too 
soon,  he  was  soon  on  his  knees  at  his  mother's 
command  to  repeat  the  Lord's  prayer  which  he 
had  forgotten.  A  few  spanks  from  the  strong  hand 
of  his  mother  served  to  drive  the  words  farther 
from  his  recollection.  The  present  company,  seated 
in  the  yard,  discussing  the  preacher  and  teacher, 
which  conversation  had  become  so  heated  that  it 
saved  him  from  a  good  flogging,  so  he  was  rushed 
to  bed.  Sleep  failed  to  take  possession  of  him  at 
once,  so  it  was  not  until  that  noisy  band  had  dis- 
persed at  1 1  o'clock,  before  he  fell  to  sleep.  He 
was  haunted  all  night  with  dreams  of  the  events  of 
the  next  'day.  On  being  aroused  at  sunrise  that 
bright  August  morning,  he  was  as  anxious  for  this 
new  experience  as  he  was  a  few  hours  before. 

It  was  his  good  fortune  to  fall  into  the  hands 
of  a  large  girl  whose  parents  occupied  a  portion  of 
the  house  in  which  he  lived.  The  pair  set  out  for 
the  school  house  about  two  miles  distant.  On  the 
way  Raymond  thought  of  a  hundred  and  one  more 
questions  to  ask  Isabelle,  but  they  proved  to  be  the 
hardest  questions  that  she  ever  attempted  to  answer, 


16  RAYMOND 

and  finally  ended  by  saying  that  she  did  not  know. 
Very  soon  their  vision  was  met  by  a  large  crowd 
of  gay  boys  and  girls.  The  little  lad  quickened 
his  pace  and  gazed  at  them  with  astonishment. 
His  hat  was  under  his  left  arm  and  the  old  blue- 
back  speller  was  in  one  hand,  while  his  lunch  bas- 
ket was  in  the  other,  as  he  paced  first  in  and  out  of 
the  bypath  that  led  to  the  schoolhouse  door.  There 
were  tall  long  leaf  and  old-field  pines  standing  ir- 
regularly over  a  triangular  five-acre  spot,  and  the 
new  school  building  was  located  near  its  center, 
and  as  the  lively  boys  were  dodging  around  those 
trees,  some  were  climbing  and  sliding  down,  others 
were  swinging  and  "skinning  the  cat"  on  the 
branches  located  near  the  trunk  of  the  trees,  Ray- 
mond's attention  was  attracted  by  this  curiosity, 
and  he  paused  a  moment  to  interpret  its  meaning. 
Just  as  Isabelle  was  about  to  enter  the  school  build- 
ing, she  looked  around  for  her  little  companion, 
much  to  her  surprise,  she  beheld  him  fifty  feet  be- 
hind her  firmly  stationed  in  the  path  with  his  eyes 
and  mouth  .open,  gazing  upon  these  boys  in  dismay. 
So  absorbed  was  he  in  what  he  saw,  that  he  had 
even  forgotten  his  own  name,  for,  as  she  squalled 
almost  to  the  top  of  her  voice  at  him,  attracting 
the  attention  of  the  other  children  all  over  the 
school  ground,  he  remained  as  immovable  as  a 
statue.  She  retraced  her  tracks,  quickly  snatching 
him  from  his  location,  and  led  him  into  the  school 
building. 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  17 

They  had  scarcely  entered  the  building  before 
a  very  stout  man  entered  the  opposite  door.  He 
wore  a  pleasant  smile  on  his  face  despite  the  intense 
heat  that  seemed  to  be  against  him  and  brought 
perspiration  freely  upon  his  brow.  He  had  mag- 
netic influence  over  that  noisy  crowd,  for  with  his 
presence  the  noise  died  away  and  they  marched  in 
behind  him  two  bv  two.  What  cared  they  for  song 
books  as  the  most  of  them  knew  by  heart,  "Jesus 
Keep  Me  Near  the  Cross?"  With  a  sound  of  this 
familiar  song  they  filled  the  breeze,  and  as  its  melody 
echoed  and  re-echoed  over  every  hill  and  dale  near 
by,  falling  softly  on  the  ears  of  their  neighbors, 
they  too,  took  their  seats  under  the  shade  trees  in 
their  yards  and  joined  in  the  chorus. 

The  old  scholars  did  not  need  any  examina- 
tion for  they  began  where  they  had  stopped  four 
months  previous.  It  was  only  necessary  for  the 
teacher  to  assure  them  that  he  had  the  same  amount 
of  strength  to  add  to  the  occupant  that  stood  in 
the  right  corner — pointing  to  a  dozen  of  seasoned 
switches  left  from  last  term — and  they  (switches) 
had  no  respect  of  persons.  Many  of  the  old  schol- 
ars had  indelibly  inscribed  upon  their  person  marks 
that  served  as  a  reminder  of  what  he  had  done,  and 
fearing  that  no  change  had  taken  place  in  his  temper 
and  no  new  method  of  punishment  had  entered  his 
mind,  they  began  to  study  their  lessons  before  he 
could  outline  his  work  for  the  new  term. 

Before  he  could  turn  his  attention  to  the  new 


18  RAYMOND 

scholars,  some  three  dozen  or  more  to  begin  with 
their  alphabets,  about  10  o'clock  it  had  somehow 
occurred  to  one  member  of  this  large  class  that  it  was 
noon.  There  sat  in  one  corner  a  little  bashful  boy, 
yet  somewhat  brave,  who  seemed  to  be  intensely 
interested  in  an  object  that  belonged  to  himself, 
that  none  else  need  concern  themselves  about.  The 
teacher  had  asked  all  this  new  class  to  open  their 
books  for  the  assignment  of  their  lesson,  which  he 
would  explain  in  a  few  moments,  when  one  of  the 
pupils  burst  out  in  boisterous  laughter  unexpectedly. 
This  so  excited  the  passion  of  their  schoolmaster 
that  he  quickly  approached  the  corner  already 
pointed  out.  But  before  he  had  time  to  flog  that  one 
there  were  twenty  or  more  who  had  joined  in  the 
laughter,  and  all  were  pointing  their  finger  in  the 
other  corner  at  the  little  fellow  who  had  opened 
his  basket  and  was  eating  his  lunch.  Mr.  Ducket's 
temper  failed  him  and  his  face  too  broadened  with 
a  smile.  When  he  inquired  of  this  little  boy's 
name  more  than  a  dozen  said  "Raymond." 

"March  out  for  ten  minutes  recess,  boys  to  the 
right,  girls  to  the  left.  March — one,  two,  three, 
four.  Right,  left,  right,  left."  During  this  con- 
versation Raymond  had  not  moved. 

When  his  teacher  who  now  held  a  private  con- 
versation with  him  asked  why  he  would  eat  his 
lunch  without  permission,  met  the  reply,  "I  thought 
it  was  dinner  time  cause  I  heard  a  horn  blow." 
There  had  unfortunately  come  near  the  school 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  19 

building  a  fox  hunter,  who  blew  his  horn  to  keep 
his  dogs  together,  and  was  responsible  for  the  inter- 
ruption of  the  school  work. 

The  rest  of  the  day  passed  without  a  single  in- 
terruption. Raymond  began  with  his  A  B  C's 
where  he  had  the  unpleasantness  of  dwelling  for 
six  weeks.  He  appeared  to  have  had  a  special 
fondness  for  them  as  no  punisnment  from  the  hand 
of  his  teacher  seemed  to  avail.  Whenever  it  was 
reported  at  his  home  that  he  received  punishment 
at  school,  why  his  mother  felt  that  it  was  her  duty 
to  add  another  one,  which  she  cheerfully  did.  The 
school  term  ended  without  his  promotion.  He  had 
only  two  reputations  among  his  schoolmates;  one 
was  that  he  would  not  or  could  not  learn,  and  the 
other  that  none  of  the  boys  his  size  and  age  could 
throw  him  the  "best  two  out  of  three." 

A  month  and  a  half  in  a  crowded  school  room 
of  one  hundred  pupils  under  the  instruction  of  one 
teacher,  gives  a  very  poor  or  practically  no  oppor- 
tunity for  a  six-year  old  child  to  demonstrate  his 
ability  to  learn;  and  less  to  show  signs  of  a  great 
man  whose  mission  was  to  lead  his  comrades  to  a 
higher  standard.  Four  years  came  bringing  the 
unfavorable  and  apparently  unchanged  conditions 
so  far  as  lengthening  the  school  term  or  adding  an- 
other teacher,  which  was  so  much  needed.  Never- 
theless, during  these  last  short  terms,  Raymond 
made  some  upward  strides  that  were  astonishing  to 
many  in  his  class.  Besides  ascending  and  descend- 


20  RAYMOND 

ing  from  foot  to  head  in  his  spelling  class  from 
''baker  to  compressibility"  in  the  old  blue-back 
speller,  he  won  some  reputation  and  notoriety  as 
a  speaker.  He  was  very  fond  of  speaking  and 
never  missed  a  Friday  afternoon  to  speak.  His 
ability  to  memorize  was  unparalleled  in  the  whole 
school.  Often  he  would  commit  his  afternoon 
speech  of  some  dozen  or  more  stanzas  on  the 
morning  of  the  same  day  that  he  was  to  speak,  and 
would  rarely  make  a  blunder  in  his  delivery.  The 
student  body  was  always  delighted  whenever  he 
mounted  upon  the  old  bench  to  speak.  Their  faces 
would  broaden  with  a  smile  whenever  his  name  was 
called,  and  every  eye  would  be  centered  upon  him 
as  he  would  cheerfully  march  to  the  stand,  for  he 
would  never  fail  to  cut  some  figure  or  disfigure  his 
face  if  his  teacher's  eye  was  not  upon  him,  which  ac- 
tion would  always  bring  its  desired  results — disorder. 

However  gifted  or  brilliant  one  may  chance  to 
be,  he  will  not  always  show  wisdom  to  rely  wholly 
upon  that  talent  without  needed  forethought  or 
preparation  that  should  accompany  this  unusual 
gift.  A  lesson  that  is  best  learned  from  experience 
to  which  this  little  character  would  gladly  testify. 

During  these  eventful,  days  when  Raymond's 
fame  was  at  its  zenith,  he  unfortunately  slept  a  day, 
and]when  he  awoke,  his  teacher,  at  the  beginning  of 
an  afternoon  session  commanded,  that  all  books  be 
laid  aside.  He  began  with  the  lowest  grade  and 
called  them  out  one  by  one  to  speak,  to  which  call 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  21 

they  readjy^and  willingly  responded.  It  was  under- 
stood that  every  scholar  was  to  speak,  unless  he  or 
she  had  obtained  an  excuse  a  day  beforehand  after 
a  scrutinizing  examination  of  the  cause  presented 
him  in  ones  favor.  Raymond  had  not  complied 
with  any  of  these  conditions,  and  in  this  crisis  he 
could  recollect  no  speech  save  the  ones  that  he  had 
previously  spoken,  and  to  repeat  any  one  of  these 
meant  his  coat.  "Time  and  tide  wait  for  no  man," 
was  fully  realized  by  Raymond.  Every  moment 
left  one  less  and  ere  he  had  time  to  decide  what  to 
do  his  name  was  called.  The  whole  crowd  turned 
in  their  seats  as  he  arose  with  an  unusual  appear- 
ance, as  there  was  no  smile  on  his  face,  no  wink  of 
the  eye,  for  his  countenance  had  failed  and  attracted 
the  attention  of  his  companions,  which  would  have 
changed  their  smiles  and  gained  their  pity  and  sym- 
pathy had  it  not  been  for  a  naughty  boy  sitting  near 
him  who  understood  the  trouble,  and  burst  out  in  an 
undertone  sniggle,  and  brought  back  the  smiles  upon 
the  faces  of  the  scholars.  When,  with  the  dignity  of 
a  statesman,  he  ascended  the  old  bench,  which  was  to 
leave  an  impression  upon  him  for  life,  it  seemed  to 
him  that  everyone  was  making  a  face  at  him.  There 
was  silence  for  a  moment,  yea,  for  five  moments,  so 
that  a  pin  would  have  produced  a  sound  if  dropped 
upon  the  floor  almost  equal  to  that  produced  by  an 
upset  chair  in  an  empty  room.  "What  shall  I  do?" 
thought  he,  to  repeat  means  a  whipping,  and  "If  I 
recite  that  stanza  that  none  has  ever  recited  it  will 


22  RAYMOND 

reflect  upon  the  teacher  and  will  mean  even  more," 
were  the  thoughts  revolving-  over  and  over  in  his 
mind.  He  was  confronted  with  the  most  difficult 
problem  of  his  life.  "I  will  open  my  mouth  and 
whatever  comes  will  have  to  come''  was  his  final 
conclusion.  He  tremblingly  gazed  at  the  large 
man  who  was  leaning  upon  his  switch  at  his  left, 
as  if  waiting  his  signal,  recognizing  the  look  gave 
a  nod  to  proceed.  Raymond  proceeded  as  follows: 

"A  monkey  sitting  on  the  end  of  a  rail, 
Picking-  his  tooth  with  the  end  of  his  tail. 

Mulberry  leaves  and  calico  sleeves, 

All  school  teachers  are  hard  to  please." 

He  made  the  speech  of  his  life.  There  were  no 
wild  cheers  full  of  enthusiasm  to  rend  the  air  when 
he  had  finished  as  he  had  been  applauded  on  other 
occasions.  But  on  the  other  hand  there  was  a  wild 
yell  from  the  speaker  as  he  received  the  merciless 
blows  from  the  rod  in  the  teacher's  hand,  which  has- 
tened him  from  the  memorable  spot  where  he  had 
often  won  honor.  This  is  the  second  time  that  the 
school  had  been  dismissed  on  his  account.  He 
marched  out  with  that  sympathetic  crowd  to  return 
no  more.  There  was  to  come  a  change  in  his 
family  connections  that  would  serve  to  turn  the 
trend  of  his  life  and  threaten  his  future  destiny  as 
if  to  forever  destroy  the  hope  of  such  a  bright  and 
useful  career  which  he  wras  destined  to  live. 


CHAPTER  III. 

HO\V    HIS    BIRTHDAY    PARTY    ENDED. 

'HT^HE  cotton  fields  on  the  morning  of  the  twenty- 
-*-  seventh  of  October  were  as  significant  as  they 
appeared  ten  years  ago.  The  forests  present  their 
usual  golden  colors,  and  one  by  one  their  leaves 
loosened  their  hold,  never  to  renew  it,  and  fluttered 
on  the  air  till  they  reached  their  destiny,  while  the 
trunk  of  the  trees  had  arrayed  themselves  in  their 
fall  silvery  garment.  The  sun  shone  in  its  fullest 
strength,  dispelling  every  speck  of  cloud  from  the 
heavens.  There  could  be  heard,  far  and  near,  the 
musical  voices  of  children  as  they  hurried  to  pick 
their  task  of  cotton,  by  noon,  or  at  least  by  2  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  They  must  by  all  means  be  at 
the  home  of  Raymond  long  before  sunset.  Chick- 
ens had  made  themselves  scarce  around  Mrs.  Al- 
ston's house,  after  beholding  eleven  heads  separated 
from  bodies  which  they  once  guided.  Every  nest 
had  been  robbed  of  its  contents  to  make  cakes  and 
pies.  Yet  the  birthday  party  for  children  would 
be  incomplete  without  the  sweet  potato-  custard, 
thought  Raymond,  whereupon  he  went  to  the  po- 
tato patch  and  brought  back  a  peck  without  his 
mothers's  command.  His  Aunt  Silvia  had  spent 
the  night  with  his  mother  and  they  had  talked  over 


24  RAYMOND 

the  event  which  they  were  to  celebrate — its  tenth 
year,  the  next  day.  Many  had  been  their  peculiar 
experiences  during  this  decade,  but  He  who  fore- 
knows the  destiny  of  every  individual  had  brought 
them  safely  through. 

At  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  there  were  chil- 
dren coming  from  almost  every  direction,  and  they 
ceased  not  to  come  until  the  sun  was  about  to  veil 
his  face  in  the  West.  The  whole  neighborhood 
was  well  represented,  for  there  was  scarcely  a  home 
that  was  not  represented  by  a  child  or  an  elder 
person.  The  noise  of  this  crowd  was  easily  heard, 
on  such  a  still  night,  for  some  two  or  more  miles, 
and  had  the  custom  prevailed  that  every  person 
was  duty  bound  to  bring  a  present,  Raymond  could 
have  easily  set  up  a  small  mercantile  business. 

The  crowd  here  is  too  large  to  get  into  one 
room,  even  though  forty  could  be  seated  around 
the  tables,  but  children  in  those  days  must  have  de- 
lighted in  waiting  their  turn,  for  all  of  the  old  people 
were  seated  at  the  first  table,  save  those  who  were 
in  corners  discussing  the  encouraging  outlook  of 
the  cotton  market. 

The  Silver  Queen  of  Night  was  admired  for 
her  brightness,  for  she  seemed  not  to  be  flooding 
the  earth  with  the  borrowed  light  of  the  sun,  but 
was  dazzling  every  eye  as  with  her  own.  What 
cared  these  little  people  for  this  unusual  bright 
night,  only  that  it  favored  them  in  their  play. 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  25 

Could  they  appreciate  its  beauty  any  farther  than 
enjoying:  their  play  in  its  brightness?  But  they 
were  not  the  only  persons  in  the  world,  however, 
that  were  appreciating  and  admiring  its  beauty. 
There  were  hearts  unknown  to  them,  one  at  least 
that  was  throbbing-  with  unutterable  joy,  as  an  old 
carriage  drew  nearer  and  nearer  that  house  with 
every  revolution  of  its  wheels.  Yea,  it  was  throb- 
bing faintly,  too,  for  there  were  only  a  few  more 
strokes  to  be  made  ere  the  silver  cord  be  loosed. 

Unexpectedly  there  stopped  at  the  door  a  car- 
riage, with  closed  curtains,  presenting  the  appear- 
ance of  an  ambulance,  drawn  by  a  gray  horse,  the 
sight  of  which  calmed  the  noisy  crowd  and  left  them 
huddled  here  and  ther"e  in  dismay. 

Raymond,  at  the  appearance  of  this  strange 
sight,  rushed  into  the  house  to  inform  the  old  folk 
that  there  were  strangers  at  the  door,  and  his  uncle 
quietly  answered  the  call,  while  the  rest  continued 
to  chat  and  destroy  the  contents  of  the  table.  The 
driver  whispered  something  to  Elbert  and  he  re- 
turned, not  to  the  door  out  of  which  he  had  come, 
but  to  the  door  that  led  into  the  bed-room,  where 
he  found  three  of  the  guests  who  had  been  excused 
that  they  might  engage  in  a  private  conversation. 
He  explained  in  a  low  tone  something  to  them, 
meanwhile  there  fell  from  his  eyes  great  drops  of 
water.  Having  delivered  this  startling  message, 
he  returned  quickly  toward  the  door,  and  the  three 


26  RAYMOND 

men  left  their  seats  and  hastily  followed  him. 
Quickly,  yet  as  tenderly  and  carefully  as  if  they 
were  handling  a  child,  they  drew  from  behind  the 
curtains  a  man  and  carried  him  into  the  bed-room 
and  the  carriage  withdrew. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    END    HAD    COME. 

'IpHERE  was  a  time  when  news  was  not  flashed 
•*•  over  the  electric  wires  of  this  country,  and 
too,  it  was  an  epoch  as  full  of  news  worth  the 
knowing  as  now,  much  of  which,  if  it  had  been 
known  in  its  fullness,  was  calculated  to  inspire  and 
ennoble  the  youth  of  that  period  as  that  of  this 
worthy  and  history-making  age  in  which  you  and 
I  are  favored  to  live.  Then  there  were  broken- 
hearted wives  and  grieved  mothers  numbered 
among  earthly  mortals,  as  there  are  now,  who  im- 
plored the  good  will  and  sympathy  of  the  tender 
hearted.  But,  despite  the  unfavorable  circum- 
stances of  any  period  in  the  world's  history,  many 
of  the  people  have  been  prepared  to  meet  its  dis- 
advantages. 

The  consternation  that  seized  the  guests  at 
Raymond's  home  last  night  by  the  house  of  a  near- 
by neighbor  being  on  fire,  possibly  saved  a  greater 
terror  at  his  home.  After  most  all  of  this  crowd 
had  quickly  withdrawn  to  that  large  building  which 
was  going  up  in  flames  and  smoke,  the  rest  of  the 
guests  were  quietly  gathered  around  the  bedside  to 
behold  another  house  dissolve. 

His  face  had  lost  its  color,  which  was  once 
admired  for  its  handsome  appearance,  and  pre- 


28  RAYMOND 

sented  a  weary  and  tiresome  look.  His  eyes, 
which  were  once  so  suggestive  when  centered  upon 
an  object,  were  now  occupying:  a  sunken  recess 
under  his  projecting;  brow  and  their  light  was 
dimly  shining-.  The  large  hands  that  had  so  often 
soothed  the  tiny  hands  of  a  lovely  wife  had  lost 
their  flesh  and  were  now  reduced  to  bones,  thinly 
covered  with  a  diseased  skin.  He  had  been  propped 
up  in  the  bed,  and  there  were  some  two  or  three 
fanning  him,  as  if  to  keep  the  light  aglow  a  little 
longer,  while  he  was  gasping  for  breath.  Mean- 
while there  appeared  through  the  door  from  the 
adjoining  room,  a  medium  size  woman,  borne  on 
the  arm  of  a  stout  man,  wringing  her  hands  and 
with  sobs  so  softly,  as  if  not  to  fret  him,  that 
would  have  melted  the  hardest  heart,  whose  pulsa- 
tion was  brought  to  a  standstill,  only  when  she  had 
reached  the  bedside  of  that  long  lost  one  who  was 
so  near  and  dear  to  her  heart.  She  had  promised 
her  sister  Silvia  that  she  would  not  part  her  lips  to 
him,  fearing  that  it  might  tend  to  intensify  the 
agony  through  which  he  was  unwillingly  passing. 
She  kept  her  word,  but  her  lips  parted  at  their 
own  volition  and  her  voice  rang  out  once  more, 
enunciating  that  name  which  sounded  like  music 
in  her  ears,  "My  God!  Frank,  is  that  you?"  The 
dying  man  revived  at  the  sound  of  that  familiar 
voice,  which  he  had  not  heard  for  ten  years  and 
six  months.  He  was  not  dying,  thought  he,  or  if 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  29 

so,  he  had  received  an  electric  shock  by  the  sound 
of  that  voice  to  which  he  must  respond 

He  faintly  opened  his  eyes  in  the  presence  of 
those  who  looked  upon  him  wistfully  and  they 
lighted  upon  a  little  woman  arrayed  in  a  white 
costume  at  his  side — who  to  him  had  the  appear- 
ance of  an  angel — and  he  recognized  that  she  was 
his  own  wife.  He  had  only  two  desires  which  he 
attempted  to  gratify;  one  to  beg  her  forgiveness 
and  the  other  to  see  his  child.  Whereupon  he 
vainly  put  forth  an  effort  to  sit  up, 'but  his  strength 
had  departed.  Then  he  faintly  reached  forth  his 
right  hand  towards  her,  which  she  firmly  grasped, 
and  he  opened  his  mouth  to  call  her  name,  yet  no 
soun,d  was  heard,  but  his  quivering  lips  made 
signs  so  clearly  that  they  read  the  name  "Betty" 
which  his  tongue  failed  to  utter,  and  the  light  of 
that  house  flickered  at  the  attempt  as  if  it  were  the 
last  piece  of  timber  to  support  it,  and  went  out. 

The  news  of  the  fire  and  the  death  of  Frank 
Alston,  long  before  the  dawn  of  day,  furnished  an 
interesting  subject  and  was  discussed  in  almost 
every  home  ten  miles  around.  The  funeral  was 
largely  attended  the  next  day  and  there  was  much 
sympathy  shown  Mrs.  Alston.  Even  though  the 
preacher  was  on  a  trial,  because  no  one  could 
hardly  believe  that  this  man  was  saved  who  had 
been  condemned  by  the  whole  neighborhood  for 
his  malicious  treatment  of  one  of  the  best  girls  in 
that  vicinity,  proved  himself  equal  to  the  occasion 


30  RAYMOND 

when  he  gave  warning  from  the  text:  ''Rejoice, 
O,  young  man,  in  thy  youth,  and  let  thy  heart 
cheer  thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth,  and  walk  in 
the  ways  of  thine  heart,  and  in  the  sight  of  thine 
eyes;  but  know  thou,  that  for  all  these  things  God 
will  bring  thee  into  judgment." 


CHAPTER  V. 

FRIENDSHIP    LEADS    TO    LOVE. 

^  I  ^HE  bereaved  family  had  well  nigh  forgotten  the 
-^-  late  death  of  that  prodigal  son  whom  they  had 
long  given  up  as  dead,  save  his  wife.  She  was 
wearing  her  veil  with  no  thought  of  ever  changing 
her  name  again,  long  after  the  old  bachelors  and 
widowers  began  calling,  who  claimed  to  have  been 
calling  for  the  purpose  of  cheering  and  consoling 
her.  This  proved  to  the  contrary,  however,  in  a 
short  while.  One  of  that  number,  while  the  minis- 
ter at  the  cemetery  was  tenderly  saying  "earth  to 
earth,"  kept  his  eyes  upon  the  widow,  and  it  was 
by  no  means  a  sympathetic  gaze,  but  rather  one  of 
admiring  fondness,  which  seemed  to  have  been  full 
of  future  hope  and  anticipation.  Before  they 
turned  their  backs  on  the  last  remains,  this  same 
man  was  at  Mrs.  Alston's  side,  exercising  every 
muscle  of  his  strong  hand  in  aiding  her  brother  in 
bearing  her  fainting  form  to  the  carriage. 

The  tendency  of  humanity  is  that  of  gradually 
withdrawing  from  a  bereaved  family  for  the  first 
few  days,  as  if  to  leave  them  to  sorrow  alone,  and 
then  return  when  the  deepest  grief  has  been  under- 
gone. Very  often  when  we  most  need  encourage- 
ment and  sympathy  from  our  friends  they  are  far- 


32  RAYMOND 

thest  from  us.  Then  we  are  most  apt  to  gladly  ac- 
cept sympathy  from  those  who  are  not  our  friends. 
When  this  sorrowing  wife  was  drinking  from  that 
cup  of  bereavement,  there  was  only  one  who  seemed 
willing  to  add  to  her  comfort,  and  he  failed  not  in 
giving  her  encouragement  out  of  his  own  experi- 
ence, for  he  had  likewise  received  a  similar  stroke 
from  the  Almighty  about  five  months  before.  He 
held  to  the  opinion  that  Providence  did  only  those 
things  which  were  best  for  His  creatures,  and  if  they 
would  leave  it  all  to  Him  they  wrould  finally  see 
that  it  was  for  their  good. 

Xot  that  she  missed  the  care  and  protection 
that  Frank  had  given  her  for  the  last  ten  years  of 
his  life,  but  it  was  the  unexpected  and  sudden  death 
that  caused  her  grief.  Whether  he  had  accepted 
the  Christ  in  whom  she  had  so  long  confided  was 
unknown,  thus  she  was  left  to  wait  the  final  day. 
His  whereabouts,  for  so  long,  was  still  a  mystery, 
for  no  intelligence  had  been  received  more  than  he 
landed  from  a  southbound  train,  borne  by  four  men 
while  lying  upon  a  cot,  and  was  placed  in  charge  of 
a  hackman.  She  tried  to  imagine  what  he  wanted 
to  tell  her  before  he  fell  asleep.  But  the  greatest 
grief  after  all  was  that  he  never  looked  into  the 
face  of  his  only  child,  which  she  could  never  forget. 

She  was  turning  over  these  thoughts,  one  by 
one  in  her  mind,  when  she  was  interrupted  by  a  tap 
at  the  door. 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  33 

Raymond  answered  the  call  and  ushered  in 
Mr.  Anthony,  who  made  an  unusual  bow  to  the 
widow,  whose  melancholy  appearance  drew  tears 
'from  the  spring-  of  his  eyes,  and  the  little  boy  moved 
his  study,  consisting-  of  three  books,  into  the  next 
room.  So  frequently  had  been  his  visits,  and  espe- 
cially when  she  first  received  the  stroke,  that  she 
had  somehow  began  to  expect  and  was  always 
pleased  to  welcome  him;  too,  there  was  nothing- 
withheld  from  him,  so  she  now  briefly  rehearsed 
the  subject  of  her  meditation  when  he  knocked  at 
the  door,  and  assured  him  that  she  would  never  be 
able  to  give  up  her  Frank.  This  statement  gave 
him  an  opportunity  to  speak  for  himself,  and  who 
can  make  better  use  of  such  an  opportunity  than  an 
old  widower!  He  at  once  began  to  discuss  the 
providence  of  God.  He  soon  convinced  her  that 
Providence  had  removed  the  barrier  that  stood  be- 
tween her  and  the  real  happiness  that  awaited  her 
at  the  hands  of  another.  He  had  had  such  clear 
evidences  that  he  was  the  one  to  give  her  this  hap~ 
piness,  that  he  had  not  missed  a  single  opportunity 
of  rendering  her  any  needed  assistance  within  his 
power  since  the  day  of  her  bereavement. 

He  had  fully  made  known  to  her  the  source 
from  which  all  these  unexpected  favors  had  sprung, 
and  left  it  to  her  to  decide,  hoping  that  she  would 
decide  in  the  affirmative.  When  she  bade  him 
good  night  she  failed  to  return  and  close  the  door 
at  once  as  on  other  occasions.  The  heavens  were 


34  RAYMOND 

aglow  and  each  star,  as  she  beheld  them,  shone 
more  brilliantly  than  ever.  Having  moved  a  short 
space  from  her,  his  attention,  too,  was  curiously 
attracted  upwards,  and  he  exclaimed:  "What  a 
beautiful  night."  "Indeed,  I  was  just  thinking," 
she  added.  "Ah!  our  minds  seem  to  run  together," 
he  said,  as  he  reluctantly  plodded  homeward.  She 
had  turned  to  enter  the  door,  when  she  quickly 
looked  around  to  make  out  a  strange  light  that 
shone  about  her.  The  heavens  that  were  so  beau- 
tiful a  few  moments  ago  now  seemed  to  be  on  fire. 
It  proved,  however,  to  be  a  light  from  a  falling 
meteor.  Thinking  that  she  was  perplexed  over  this 
strange  phenomena,  he  turned  and  raised  his  voice 
so  that  it  might  carry  the  message  distinctly  and 
said:  "It's  nothing  but  a  falling  star."  She  said 
tenderly,  "I  hope  you  are  not  afraid,"  and  closed 
the  door. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

AN    UNHAPPY    HOME. 

COUNTLESS  ages  in  the  affairs  of  the  human 
^  family  are  effected  as  mother  earth  revolves 
around  the  sun.  Each  of  the  four  seasons  is  busy 
\vith  its  own  events.  Each  of  us  is  concerned  with 
our  peculiar  interests  as  these  different  seasons 
come  and  go.  Sometimes  they  bring  sorrow,  and 
again  there  comes  with  them  joy.  At  times  we 
assert  that  life  is  not  worth  living,  and  if  live  we 
must,  we  will  live  alone,  be  it. the  life  of  a  bachelor, 
old  maid,  widower,  or  widow.  All  of  these  reso- 
lutions are  but  evidences  that  we  do  not  know 
ourselves. 

Mrs.  Alston  thought  that  for  her  to  live  now 
was  only  to  live  for  her  fatherless  son.  The  sun 
had  shone  upon  one  man  who  had  found  favor  in 
her  eyes,  but  he  had  proven  to  her  that  all  men 
were  but  reproductions  of  his  worthless  self,  which 
forever  hardened  her  against  them. 

She  could  never  forget  the  unusual  kindness  of 
Mr.  Anthony,  who  seemed  to  have,  taken  special 
delight  in  calling  by  twice  a  week  to  learn  if 
things  went  well  with  them.  It  was  quite  a  sacri- 
fice on  his  part  to  leave  his  three  motherless  chil- 
dren all  alone  in  his  house,  some  two  or  three  times 


36  RAYMOND 

a  week,  yet  there  are  times  when  such  sacrifices 
bring  a  two-fold  blessing-.  Be  it  a  blessing  or  a 
curse,  time  is  the  only  revealer.  Philosophers 
have  perplexed  their  minds  and  puzzled  their 
brains  until  their  heads  have  become  frosty,  search- 
ing into  human  needs,  striving  to  decide  whether  it 
is  better  to  live  without  a  companion  or  to  follow 
what  the  good  book  seems  to  teach.  They  most 
invariably  reach  the  conclusion  that  it  is  wisdom 
to  leave  each  individual  to  determine  for  himself. 
Mrs.  Alston  had  that  kind  of  dictation  to  which 
it  was  not  hard  for  her  to  yield.  She  had  long 
wanted  him  in  whom  her  soul  delighted,  to  come 
directly  to  the  point  where  one  yea  from  her  would 
settle  it  and  set  at  rest  two  minds  that  had  been 
restless  since  he  gave  the  first  hint.  But  he  had  to 
learn  anew.  It  was  talked  so  frequently  that  the 
people  expected  their  marriage  at  any  time;  thus 
he  shook  off  his  fear  and  suggested  the  idea  that 
they  meet  the  expectation  of  the  people,  to  which 
she  willingly  agreed.  The  setting  sun,  throwing 
back  its  golden  rays  upon  the  windows  of  the  old 
mansion  on  the  hill,  only  reflected  its  light  to  leave 
a  reminder  of  those  words  falling  so  tenderly  from 
the  lips  of  the  minister,  which  made  two  hearts 
beat  as  one.  No  Sabbath  had  closed  with  such  a 
benediction,  thought  the  happy  pair. 

None  can,  with  certainty,  predict  the  future  of 
two  persons  thus  beginning  life  anew.  Every  couple 
must  work  out  their  own  destiny  or  allow  it  to  work 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  37 

out  itself.  Here  comes  tog-ether  two  set?  of  chil- 
dren, not  totally  strangers  and,  too,  strangers  as  to 
customs  and  habits  of  their  horn  2  life.  Three  had 
lived  a  short  while  without  a  mother  and  one  had 
never  known  the  care  of  a  father.  Each  child 
looked  for  faults  in  the  other,  while  the  father  and 
mother  were  not  free  from  the  same  expectation.  A 
few  days  and  less  than  a  week  had  passed  before 
the  children  had  suffered  blows  from  the  hands  of 
each  other,  which  of  course  demanded  the  special 
attention  of  their  parents,  who  did  not  fail  to  cor- 
rect them.  But  that  home  never  had  the  light  of 
affection  any  more,  until  one  member  of  the  family 
found  a  dwelling-  in  other  parts.  Two  years  were 
long  enough  for  this  household  to  stand  united,  and 
how  it  stood  that  long  no  one  but  the  Almighty 
can  tell.  The  disagreeable  stepfather  and  thought- 
less mother  had  allowed  the  neighbors  to  expect 
the  worse  at  any  hour.  Raymond  had  more  than 
once  prayed  for  death  to  end  his  earthly  existence. 
He  finally  persuaded  his  mother  to  allow  him  to  go 
away  and  labor,  agreeing  to  give  her  half  of  his 
earnings.  Thus,  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen,  he 
was  allowed  to  go  forth  and  try  life  for  himself. 

It  is  too  sad  to  see  a  boy  going  away  from  a 
mother's  care  at  such  an  early  age,  yet  the  world 
today  has  thousands  of  such  pitiful  sights  in  the 
country  and  cities.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  train- 
ing of  that  sainted  mother,  his  life  might  have  been 


38  RAYMOND 

wrecked.  He  worked  upon  the  farm,  at  mills,  and 
all  kinds  of  public  work,  and  in  company  with  many 
bad  characters.  He  had  well  nigh  decided  to  give 
up  those  lofty  ideas  of  being  a  man  when  the  words 
of  his  Sunday  School  superintendent,  "Be  true  to 
your  purpose,"  came  to  him.  He  tried  to  be  true, 
but  unfortunately  he  had  learned  to  play  "chucks," 
without  his  mother's  knowledge,  and  it  was  hard 
for  him  to  stand  around  the  fire  at  a  country  frolic 
and  see  his  friends  lose  almost  every  time  the 
banker  pulled  his  cup.  Being  quite  fifty  miles  from 
home,  too  far  for  his  mother  to  learn  of  his  fault, 
he  fell  upon  his  knees  and  got  into  the  game,  and 
in  five  minutes  he  had  won  ten  dollars,  which 
broke  the  banker.  This  gave  him  quite  a  reputa- 
tion and  possibly  he  would  have  followed  this 
practice  had  not  illness  summoned  him  to  the  bed- 
side of  his  mother. 

He  now  renews  the  old  idea  of  entering  school, 
and  thus,  upon  the  first  day  of  the  New  Year  of 
his  fifteenth  year,  he  entered  a  village  normal 
school  about  fifteen  miles  north  of  his  home.  Hav- 
ing no  knowledge  of  what  it  cost  to  be  a  student, 
especially  a  boarding  student,  he  carried  the  small 
sum  of  fifteen  dollars,  which  was  all  he  had.  He 
was  immediately  assigned  to  a  room  near  the 
campus  among  that  class  of  boys  who  did  their 
own  cooking,  where  he  remained  for  one  month. 
His  lack  of  sufficient  clothes  was  largely  responsi- 
ble for  his  having  contracted  cold  which  terminated 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  39 

in  pneumonia.  This  illness  which  laid  its  cruel 
hand  upon  this  over  anxious  lad  after  he  had  been 
a  student  for  one  month  held  him  for  six  weeks. 
He  was  removed  to  his  home  and  never  entered 
school  again  for  five  years. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PREPARATION"    FOR    COLLEGE. 

^T^HE  doctor  dismissed  his  patient  after  six 
-*-  weeks  careful  attention  with  the  injunction: 
"Take  special  care  of  yourself,  my  boy,  lest  there 
be  a  relapse".  The  chilly  winds  of  winter  had 
exchanged  places  with  those  of  March.  There  could 
be  heard  far  and  near  the  gee  and  haw  of  the 
ploughman.  The  smoke  from  the  fields,  as  the 
bush  and  litter  were  consumed  by  fire,  could  be 
seen  ascending-  heavenward,  slightly  obstructing 
the  light  of  the  sun.  Raymond  was  so  anxious  to 
secure  a  job  from  which  he  hoped  to  realize  a  suf- 
ficient sum  to  reenter  school,  that  he  hired  himself 
out  before  he  was  able  to  work  by  three  weeks,  for 
five  dollars  per  month  for  six  months  and  three 
lessons  per  week. 

Money  did  not  come  fast  enough  to  assure 
him  a  year's  schooling  at  the  end  of  that  time,  so 
he  seized  a  new  opportunity  to  supplement  his  in- 
come. There  was  no  little  demand  for  soft  drinks, 
especially  when  the  hot. ones  could  not  be  easily 
obtained;  then,  too,  there  was  no  prohibition 
against  the  former.  The  people  in  the  country 
knew  nothing  of  coca-cola  and  the  like,  but  every- 
body seemed  to  be  fond  of  apple  cider.  Raymond 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  41 

began  the  sale  and  did  an  unusually  lively  business, 
especially  on  Sunday.  He  seemed  not  to  have 
thought  that  this  was  one  of  the  ways  that  ap- 
peared right,  but  the  end  meant  trouble,  until  his 
Sunday  school  teacher  told  him  that  it  was  a  step 
to  blind  tiger  dealing.  He  gave  his  word  that  he 
would  never  be  guilty  of  such  a  crime  but  his  word 
fell  to  the  ground.  Scarcely  had  two  months 
passed  ere  he  was  secretly  dealing  with  the  "hot 
tea".  A  friend  of  his  mother  informed  her  of  his 
downward  drift  and  she  hastened  to  his  rescue. 
And  fortunately,  too,  for  less  than  a  fortnight  spies 
seized  two  gallons  from  two  of  his  companions 
and  brought  them  before  the  magistrate  who  were 
found  guilty  and  were  made  to  pay  one  hundred 
dollars  for  violation  of  the  law. 

He  went  to  the  railroad  next  spring  despond- 
ent and  discouraged,  because  his  efforts  to  begin 
his  education  thus  far  had  failed.  Each  year  he 
was  falling  farther  and  farther  behind  in  his  classes. 
He  had  thirty  dollars  the  previous  fall  which  would 
have  probably  carried  him  through  the  term  if  he 
had  known  how  to  manage.  He  spent  five  years 
in  succession  preparing  to  enter  school  at  the  end 
of  which  he  still  was  not  prepared.  Whenever  he 
saved  fifty  or  more  dollars  he  would  spend  it  fool- 
ishly. He  would  pay  twenty-five  dollars  for  a  suit 
of  clothes,  five  dollars  for  shoes,  three  dollars  for  a 
hat,  five  dollars  for  shirts,  six  dollars  for  under- 
wear, two  dollars  for  cuffs,  and  collars,  two  dollars 


42  RAYMOND 

for  ties,  then  send  his  mother  a  dress,  and  of  course 
present  his  best  girl  with  a  five  dollar  present. 
Then  he  would  lament  over  his  failure  and  disdain 
the  idea  of  a  young  man  attempting  to  educate 
himself.  No  one,  he  thought,  ought  to  become  a 
student  if  he  could  not  dress  well  and  keep  in  so- 
ciety before  going  to  college.  In  fact,  it  cost  so 
much  to  stay  in  line  that  one '  could  not  secure  an 
education  unless  his  parents  paid  the  bills. 

He  now  chanced  to  attend  an  association 
where  he  heard  a  man  speak  in  interest  of  a  college 
of  wide  reputation,  who  made  a  lasting  impression 
upon  him.  As  he  held  his  audience  spell-bound, 
there  was  one  statement  of  Prof.  Newman  that  set 
Raymond  wild.  Prof.  Newman  eloquently  said: 
"I  have  the  honor  of  representing  an  institution 
that  is  giving  to  the  world  a  class  of  young  men 
and  women  of  whom  we  are  not  ashamed.  When 
they  shall  have  graduated  from  Oakland  College 
we  will  give  them  our  unqualified  endorsement 
and  guarantee  that  they  will  compete  in  the  class 
room,  in  business,  in  the  pulpit  and  in  general  ap- 
pearance with  students  from  any  college  in  this 
country;  and  I  have  no  fear  of  their  character  re- 
flecting dishonor  on  their  alma  mater.  We  do  not 
ask  you  to  send  us  any  flower  girls  or  dude  boys. 
But  we  ask  for  the  girl  and  boy  who  want  an  edu- 
cation. Let  them  come  to  Oakland  College  money 
or  no  money.  If  a  boy  wants  an  education  and 
has  no  money  but  has  the  will,  send  him  to  us,  for 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  43 

it  is  not  money  that  he  needs  but  it  is  the  will." 
This  opened  the  way  for  this  despondent 
young  man.  He  had  spent  almost  five  years  get- 
ting- ready  for  the  class  room  and  had  made  as 
poor  a  headway  as  the  frog  that  struggled  to  make 
his  exit  from  a  well  fifty  feet  deep  by  climbing  up 
two  and  six-eighths  feet  by  day  and  falling  back 
two  and  seven-eighths  feet  by  night.  Raymond 
was  striving  for  what  he  thought  he  needed  most — 
money,  but  he  now  learns  that  he  possessed  what 
he  most  needed — the  will.  Still  no  one  ever  en- 
couraged him  to  start  with  what  he  had.  Oh,  how 
thoughtless  our  people  are  about  our  struggling 
youth!  How  many  at  our  doors  are  making  stren- 
uous efforts  to  educate  themselves  and  yet  we  fail 
to  lend  them  our  support.  Raymond's  friends  had 
allowed  him  to  work  for  a  long  time  in  vain,  when 
probably  one  word  might  have  caused  him  to  reach 
the  goal  sooner  in  life.  On  this  occasion  Ray- 
mond made  himself  known  to  Prof.  Newman,  and 
enrolled  his  name  as  a  student  of  Oakland  College. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

COLLEGE    EXPERIENCE. 

FEW  boys  leaving  the  country,  from  which  the 
men  who  stir  the  world  have  often  come,  ever 
attracted  more  attention  and  gave  rise  to  more 
strange  comment  than  Raymond.  His  mother 
said  but  little  to  others  concerning  his  leaving,  and 
less  to  her  husband,  who  had  often  told  her  that  the 
boy  would  go  astray.  His  three  children  had  al- 
ways had  the  protection  and  tender  care  of  his 
home,  yet  two  of  them  had  abused  these  privileges, 
leaving  him  hopeful  of  the  youngest,  who  seemed 
to  have  but  little  or  no  ambition.  Mr.  Anthony 
noticed  with  peculiar  interest  the  many  failures  of 
his  stepson's  people,  and  especially  his  father's, 
whom  he  imitated  so  much.  Mrs.  Anthony  lived 
a  life  of  hope  and  believed  that  by  her  prayers  her 
son  would  accomplish  much.  The  people  upon 
the  old  plantation  discussed  his  new  undertaking 
pro  and  con.  Many  said  that  he  wanted  to  shun 
the  field;  some  said  that  he  wanted  to  make  money 
easily,  while  others  said  he  wanted  to  be  a  minister 
for  the  honor  of  the  position.  To  their  minds 
there  seemed  to  have  been  two  things  against  him, 
viz:  He  was  too  old  to  be  educated  and  he  had 
no  way  of  securing  enough  money  to  finish  a  course 
should  he  begin  it. 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  45 

Finally  the  day  appointed  arrived  when  he 
was  to  bid  farewell  to  the  old  plantation  upon 
which  he  had  made  many  a  track.  One  of  his 
friends  drove  up  in  time  for  him  and  his  trunk, 
and  in  the  presence  of  twenty  more  of  his  play- 
mates he  bade  each  adieu  with  a  hearty  handshake 
until  he  came  to  two  aged  women.  One  wept  as 
'she  threw  her  arms  about  him;  the  other,  whose 
head  was  almost  as  white  as  the  cloth  that  covered 
those  hoary  locks,  swung  about  his  neck  and  re- 
luctantly loosed  him  after  sixty  seconds.  "My 
boy,  take  care  of  yourself,"  were  her  last  remarks, 
which  touched  a  responsive  chord  in  him  that  never 
ceased  to  vibrate.  They  were  soon  conveyed  out 
of  sight,  but  the  mother  looked  in  the  direction  of 
their  departure  long  after  the  sound  of  the  wagon 
had  died  away.  Thirteen  miles  were  soon  driven. 
He  received  a  letter  from  the  post-office,  on  reach- 
ing the  village,  from  the  president  of  Oakland  Col- 
lege to  the  effect  that  if  he  would  come  at  once  he 
would  be  given  a  job  that  would  pay  at  least  half 
of  his  tuition.  The  message  was  gladly  received, 
for  at  that  moment  he  was  not  in  possession  of 
enough  money  to  pay  his  first  month's  tuition. 

He  arrived  at  Oakland  College,  which  was  lo- 
cated at  the  capitol  of  one  of  our  Southern  States, 
in  four  hours  after  leaving  his  home  town.  His 
appearance  was  a  unique  example  of  a  green 
"stickman."  His  coat  sleeves  were  some  distance 
from  his  wrist  and  his  trousers  had  but  little  fellow- 


46  RAYMOND 

ship  with  his  low  quarter  shoes.  His  clothes  in  no 
respect  appeared  as  if  they  were  intended  for  him. 
But  one  or  two  things  were  in  his  favor;  he  could 
make  friends  and  take  jokes.  He  was  assigned 
with  a  good  chum  and  things  went  well  in  their 
room,  and  his  work  was  done  with  ease  and  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  the  president.  When  he  had 
fully  settled  for  work  he  had  only  two  cents  left  of 
the  six  dollars  that  made  the  sum  total  of  what  he 
possessed  when  he  left  home. 

Raymond  decided  to  stand  near  if  not  at  the  head 
of  his  classes.  This  was  indeed  a  lofty  idea.  It  is 
easier  to  possess  such  an  ambition  than  it  is  to  do 
the  necessary  work  to  merit  this  distinction.  This 
fact  was  fully  realized  when  he  was  thrown  into  a 
class  of  thirty,  in  the  second  year  in  English,  most 
of  whom  were  .brought  up  in  the  city  graded 
schools,  which  were  taught  by  some  of  the  best 
teachers  in  the  state.  His  average  standing  for  the 
first  term  was  '78  per  cent,  just  3  per  cent  above 
pass  mark.  He  began  the  second  term  with  a 
double  resolution,  but  it  only  showed  that  if  he 
did  no  better  the  third  term  he  would  be  compelled 
to  repeat  the  work. 

He  very  soon  felt  called  to  the  ministry,  and 
inasmuch  as  it  was  a  calling  for  which  a  man 
should  sacrifice  everything,  he  did  not  see  the  wis- 
dom of  undertaking  to  complete  any  course,  but 
thought  he  should  take  a  nearer  cut  to  his  calling. 
He  immediately  called  upon  the  president  of  the 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  47 

institution  and  laid  the  matter  squarely  before  him. 
Out  of  many  years  of  observation  and  experience 
the  old  Gamaliel  persuaded  the  young  man  to  pur- 
sue the  college  course  until  completed.  He  en- 
deavored to  lay  before  him  the  great  possibility  of 
accomplishing  very  much  more  by  going  to  the 
top  and  the  probability  of  accomplishing  but  little 
or  nothing  by  stopping  just  as  he  was  laying  a 
foundation  in  the  English  department  for  a  higher 
education.  After  receiving  similar  advice  for  a 
few  days  from  the  president,  the  young  man  re- 
turned to  his  studies  with  a  renewed  effort. 

Having  received  license  to  preach  before  leav- 
ing school,  the  temptation  to  seek  a  church  and 
get  out  into  the  world  was  intensified.  His  vaca- 
tions were  now  spent  in  teaching  and  preaching 
here  and  there,  and  that  without  much  compensa- 
tion. While  he  was  loved  by  the  pastors,  his 
ability  as  a  preacher  was  not  manifested  when  he 
secured  an  appointment  to  any  marked  degree. 
The  people  heard  him  gladly  because  their  pastors 
saw,  as  they  said,  great  things  resulting  from  his 
future  labors,  but  they  were  too  far  in  the  future  to 
be  seen  by  the  people.  These  pastors  evidently 
had  a  vision,  for  all  and  even  more  than  they  pre- 
dicted was  seen  in  less  than  a  decade  bv  the  people. 
Neither  were  the  people  the  only  ones  blind  at  first, 
for  Raymond  declared  after  a  failure  in  the  pulpit 
on  one  occasion,  before  a  large  crowd,  that  he  had 
surelv  answered  the  other  fellow's  call. 


48  RAYMOND 

Experience,  the  greatest  of  all  teachers,  taught 
him  a  lesson  that  proved  his  salvation.  He  had 
given  himself  almost  wholly  to  the  study  of  his 
calling  at  the  expense  of  neglecting  his  other  stud- 
ies, upon  which  his  graduation  depended.  When 
the  list  of  names  of  those  who  had  satisfactorily 
finished  the  work  that  made  them  eligible  to  the 
graduating  class  was  read  -before  the  school,  his 
name  was  not  read.  He  was  not  even  on  condition. 
He  desired  his  class  marks  which  were  quickly  fur- 
nished and  to  his  surprise  he  had  succeeded  in  av- 
eraging 67  per  cent.  His  courage  failed  and  his 
ambition  ceased  to  aspire  for  higher  attainments. 
It  was  obvious  to  him  that  there  was  no  "royal 
road  to  learning."  He  had  worked  hard  both 
night  and  day  to  enroll  his  name  among  those  who 
were  to  receive  the  honors  of  the  college  on  com- 
mencement day;  he  had  worked  harder  to  make 
himself  worthy  of  the  high  calling  of  the  pulpit, 
which  work  had  received  too  much  of  his  scant 
time  to  allow  him  a  good  class  standing.  Often 
he  had  been  warned  by  his  teacher,  who  manifested 
a  deep  interest  in  his  welfare,  and  particularly  in 
his  class  promotion,  against  the  unwise  and  care- 
less negligence  of  his  studies,  but  he,  like  most  of 
those  over-anxious  and  short-sighted  young  licensed 
preachers  who  have  been  pulled  too  soon,  felt  that 
the  world  had  need  of  him  and  that  the  King's 
business  demanded  haste.  But  this  haste  proved 
waste.  He  was  compelled  to  repeat  the  year's 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  49 

work.  The  experience  of  this  one  instance  stamped 
upon  his  mind  a  lesson  which  time  failed  to  deface. 
But  there  was  deeply  woven  in  his  nature  a 
determination  to  succeed  over  difficulties  and  seem- 
ing: failures.  The  year  lost,  after  all  was  a  year 
gained.  Many  a  lesson  had  been  passed  over  in 
form,  but  lost  in  reality.  He  was  often  heard  to 
say:  "1  never  thoroughly  understood  a  lesson  in 
detail  before  the  year  I  repeated  my  work,  and  I 
would  advise  any  student  who  desires  to  know  a 
subject  thoroughly  to  repeat  it  thrice  if  necessary." 
While  it  was  difficult  for  him  to  grasp  a  subject,  it 
was  very  easy  for  him  to  retain  it.  There  was 
another  difficulty  confronting  him.  That  was  stay- 
ing in  school.  A  decade  in  college,  and  that  self- 
supporting,  is  not  an  easy  task  for  a  young  man 
who  has  not  been  reared  in  the  city  and  acquainted 
with  its  environment,  which  doubtless  might  be 
used  to  one's  advantage.  It  was  even  harder  for 
Raymond,  who  had  no  city  experience,  to  continue 
his  studies  for  a  dozen  years  self-supporting,  never- 
theless, he  held  on  with  that  tenacity  that  served  to 
make  him  a  real  man.  While  his  drudgery  work 
fully  paid  his  tuition  after- the  first  few  years,  there 
were  other  necessities  that  drew  in  a  telling  effect 
on  his  pocket-book.  He  told  his  mother  in  a  let- 
ter of  his  sad  condition: 

DEAR  MOTHER:     I  have  neglected  writing  for 
the  last  three  months,  because  I  was  in  need  of  sta- 


50  RAYMOND 

tionery,  but  my  affection  for  you  grows  daily.  I 
have  just  finished  washing"  my  clothes  and  hung 
them  up  in  my  room  to  dry,  as  it  is  raining-  to- 
night. I  received  today  a  shirt  and  a  pair  of 
trousers  from  one  of  my  teachers,  so  now  I  have 
two  white  shirts.  The  Lord  is  greatly  supplying 
my  needs.  While  my  shoes  and  hat  are  looking 
old,  I  think  they  will  last  me  until  commencement, 
especially  my  hat,  since  I  wear  my  cap  most  of  the 
time. 

Mother,  please  do  not  be  over-anxious  about 
my  welfare.  I  have  only  four  more  years  here  now. 
Pray  that  God  will  in  the  future  use  me  to  advance 
His  kingdom  on  the  earth.  Then  I  will  not  have 
labored  in  vain. 

Your  son, 

RAYMOND. 

In  the  busy  rush  of  life  time  is  upon  wheels. 
The  four  years  came  around  in  so  short  a  time 
that  he  hardly  realized  it.  He  looked  back  witli 
pleasure  mingled  with  sorrow  over  the  years  that 
lay  in  the  back-ground.  Many  discomforts,  disap- 
pointments and  discouragements  had  been  con- 
fronted by  him,  but  they  had  only  served  as  step- 
ping stones  upon  which  his  weary  feet  ascended 
the  college  heights  of  his  alma  miter.  The  last  ex- 
amination had  passed  and  he  stood  well  in  his  class, 
despite  the  double  duty  of  his  school  work  and 
pastoring,  in  which  he  had  been  happily  engaged 
for  nearly  one  year.  He  thought  over  the  many 
young  men  and  women  who  had  been  in  his  classes 
from  time  to  time,  but  all  of  them  save  ten  had 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  51 

fallen  by  the  wayside.  Much  to  his  surprise,  he 
was  one  of  the  chosen  speakers,  and  he  played  well 
his  part  on  commencement  day.  When  he  received 
that  document  assigned  by  the  faculty  which  at- 
tested his  character  and  qualifications  were  worthy 
of  all  that  it  stood  for,  he  determined  to  lift  it  high 
and  never  allow  his  work  or  conduct  to  fling  back 
any  shadow  on  the  old  institution  save  that  of 
honor.  Having  received  through  constant  and 
laborious  efforts  his  third  diploma,  he  had  that 
pride  and  distinction  of  having  gotten  the  victory 
by  his  own  toils,  which  should  be  the  ambition  and 
characteristic  of  every  young  man  who  would  write 
his  name  upon  the  pages  of  history  with  those  illus- 
trious characters  who  have  added  to  the  develop- 
ment of  their  respective  races.  There  was  never- 
theless that  feeling  that  he  was  about  to  commence 
life  anew.  He  leaves  the  halls  of  learning  to  take 
his  place  in  the  world  among  men,  and  each  teacher 
as  they  anxiously  watch  their  student's  career  is 
expecting  that  Raymond  will  stand  foremost  among 
them  all. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PASTORIXC    NEW    HOPE. 

A  FTER  commencement  what,  where  and  how 
-"L  are  subjects  full  ofthoug-hts  that  entertain  ev- 
ery student.  Providence  had  already  opened  the  door 
of  hope  for  Rev.  Raymond  Alston  even  before  he 
had  fully  prepared  for  the  duties  common  to  his 
calling.  He  was  serving  a  country  church  some 
forty  miles  from  the  college  a  year  before  his  course 
was  completed,  but  the  time  had  come  when  he 
naturally  looked  forward  to  a  larger  field  and  his 
hopes  were  soon  realized. 

The  first  church  at  Yorkville  became  vacant 
on  the  first  day  of  April  of  the  same  year  that  Ray- 
mond came  out  of  college.  The  pastor  of  New 
Hope  was  by  no  means  an  ordinary  man.  It  was 
his  ability  that  placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  dean 
department  of  one  of  the  greatest  theological  semi- 
naries of  the  West,  a  position  made  vacant  by 
death.  Xew  Hope  as  a  church  occupied  no  second 
place  among  the  other  churches.  Every  promi- 
nent pastor  in  the  state  was  inclined  to  visit  this 
mourning  church,  not  only  to  advise  and  aid  in  the 
securing  of  a  pastor,  but  even  to  offer  their  own 
service.  A  pulpit  committee  was  wisely  appointed 
by  the  church  which  was  composed  of  five  of  the 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  53 

strongest  and  most  judicious  members.  This  com- 
mittee put  itself  on  the  alert,  yet  it  was  not  dis- 
posed to  recommend  just  any  one  to  this  promi- 
nent church. 

After  having  taken  a  careful  survey  over  the 
state  without  finding  a  man  to  offer,  the  committee 
appointed  one  of  its  members  to  visit  their  state 
college  during  the  closing  exercises,  with  the  view 
of  finding  a  man.  He  was  not  to  divulge  his  mis- 
sion. He  was  favorably  impressed  with  one  of  the 
young  men  on  the  campus  whose  deportment  had 
won  the  good  will  and  affection  of  the  student 
body,  and  when  one  would  chance  to  ask  about 
the  student  preachers  almost  every  student  would 
speak  of  Raymond  first.  His  oration  on  com- 
mencement day  was  not  so  eloquently  delivered  as 
some  others,  but  his  real  earnestness  won  for  him 
a  place  in  the  heart  of  Mr.  Arnold,  who  upon  his 
return  cheerfully  recommended  him  to  the  com- 
mittee. 

When  little  Marcel  Williams  gave  the  parson 
a  letter  marked  Yorkville,  on  his  return  from  the 
office,  he  was  curious  to  know  who  was  writing 
to  him  from  that  place.  He  was  astonished  when 
he  found  that  the  contents  were  an  invitation  from 
the  pulpit  committee  of  the  first  church  of  Yorkville 
desiring  his  services  for  the  next  Sabbath.  He  read 
the  letter  to  Mrs.  Williams  with  whom  he  was 
boarding.  She  quickly  interpreted  its  meaning  and 
prophesied  to  her  husband,  who  was  a  deacon  of 


54  RAYMOND 

the  little  church  that  Raymond  pastored,  and  said: 
"The  Reverend  is  going-  to  leave  us."  A  woman 
can  foresee  coming  events  and  their  predictions 
are  generally  true. 

The  sun  shone  unusually  bright  the  second 
Sunday  in  June  and  all  nature  seemed  to  have 
been  in  smiles.  But  the  heart  of  one  mortal  was 
throbbing  faintly  with  fear  as  it  sent  forth  the 
blood  through  its  restless  body.  He  had  seen  in 
his  imagination  a  large  crowd  seated  before  him 
with  each  eye  firmly  fixed  upon  him.  The  old 
bell  sent  forth  her  clear  tones  that  morning  and 
one  seemed  to  linger  as  if  giving  the  other  time  to 
hear  its  message  before  it  would  follow.  The  peo- 
ple soon  came  from  every  direction  and  had  occu- 
pied their  seats  when  the  signal  for  preaching  was 
heard.  The  door  of  the  dressing  room  stood  ajar 
and  there  stepped  forth  a  puny  man  dressed  in  a 
black  suit  and  sat  in  the  center  chair  as  directed  by 
one  of  the  two  licensed  preachers  who  accompa- 
nied him.  He  did  not  raise  his  head  at  first,  but 
appeared  to  be  engaged  in  silent  prayer.  The  old 
organ  was  sending  forth  a  beautiful  prelude,  pi- 
anissimo, when  he  slightly  raised  his  head  and  his 
large  eyes  seemed  to  have  taken  in  the  whole  con- 
gregation with  one  glance.  When  the  crowd  stood 
to  sing  the  opening  hymn,  there  were  many  strain- 
ing their  eyes  to  get  a  fair  look  into  his  face,  yet 
their  eyes  were  only  satisfied  when  he  was  intro- 
duced and  stepped  forth  and  announced  his  text. 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  55 

His  preliminary  was  short.  With  fear  he  took 
his  text,  selecting  John  3:16.  Many  were  asking- 
one  to  another,  "Can  he  preach?"  While  some 
thought  he  could,  others  said  that  he  could  not. 
For  twenty-five  minutes  he  held  their  attention, 
and  the  whole  audience  experienced  a  strange  feel- 
ing stealing  over  them.  They  went  away  exceed- 
ingly anxious  to  return  at. night. 

He  had  done  the  best  he  could  when  the  day's 
work  was  over.  He  went  to  his  room  that  night 
with  the  consciousness  of  having  been  true  to  the 
spirit,  even  though  he  had  failed  to  keep  his  rhet- 
oric together  and  had  unmercifully  murdered  two 
verbs  to  his  recollection.  There  were  many  who 
congratulated  him  upon  his  two  excellent  sermons 
and  assured  him  how  much  they  had  enjoyed  them, 
but  he  had  learned  how  to  receive  such  praises. 
Two  of  the  pulpit  committee  escorted  him  to  the 
train  the  next  morning  and  secured  his  consent  to 
allow  them  to  suggest  his  name  to  the  church. 

After  three  weeks  he  heard  from  the  church. 
The  membership  became  divided  over  the  election 
of  the  pastor.  Some  of  the  preachers  in  the  city 
had  used  their  influence  against  his  election  on  the 
grounds  that  he  was  inevperienced  and  unmarried. 
Four  of  the  deacons  had  been  offered  twenty-five 
dollars  each  to  work  for  another  man  who  lived  in 
the  city  and  was  familiar  with  the  conditions  of  the 
church.  The  members  turned  out  four  hundred 
strong  on  the  night  of  the  election,  and  three- 


56  RAYMOND 

fourths  went  for  Raymond.  He  was  at  once  noti- 
fied, by  special  delivery  of  his  election,  and  that  the 
church  desired  his  presence  the  following  Sunday. 

He  had  only  a  few  books  and  a  trunk  to  trans- 
fer. The  very  fact  that  he  moved  on  Friday  was 
"bad  luck"  said  one  old  lady,  who  told  him  that 
he  must  pray  much  if  he  would  stand  against  what 
was  coming.  He  had  the  faith  in  God  and  attached 
nothing  to  chance.  But  when  the  four  deacons, 
who  opposed  his  election,  offered  their  resignation 
the  first  day  he  entered  upon  his  duties  as  pastor, 
he  felt  that  he  had  made  a  poor  beginning.  He 
did  not  know  how  to  fight  his  opponents.  He  had 
an  idea  that  a  pastor  ought  not  be  forced  to  fight  to 
hold  a  church,  neither  ought  he  be  unkindly  dis- 
posed to  his  opposers.  He  had  no  one  to  whom 
he  might  carry  the  unpleasant  affair  for  advice. 
Pastors  of  other  churches  in  the  city  were  only 
hoping  that  if  any  of  the  members  should  leave  the 
old  church  that  they  might  join  theirs.  Others 
who  had  no  churches  in  charge  were  thinking  if  he 
had  to  resign  there  might  be  a  chance  for  them. 
He  had  not  been  there  long  enough  to  know  his 
friends,  therefore  he  refrained  from  discussing  his 
troubles  with  anyone. 

After  a  few  months  he  was  rapidly  gaining 
ground,  until  he  refused  to  accept  any  more  invita- 
tions to  Sunday  dinners.  The  young  women  were 
rivaling  each  other  in  preparing  special  dinners  for 
him  through  their  mothers.  But  when  he  publicly 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  57 

announced  that  there  must  be  no  more  special  din- 
ners for  him  on  Sunday  some  of  his  best  friends 
declared  that  he  was  too  cranky. 

He  had  scarcely  regained  his  former  standing-, 
with  the  young-  women  and  mothers,  before  he  had 
accumulated  more  trouble.  On  a  special  occasion 
he  preached  a  temperance  sermon  in  which  he  dealt 
a  death  blow  to  all  whiskey  drinkers.  He  had  no 
doubt  but  that  the  strongest  and  most  influential 
men  of  his  church,  and  even  that  metropolis  of  the 
South,  would  bid  him  God's  speed.  He  used  the 
strongest  terms  in  denouncing  this  great  evil.  He 
went  far  enough  to  say  that  "any  drinking  man 
would  lie,  steal,  rob,  and  that  he  was  unreliable 
and  could  not  be  depended  upon  to  ever  contend 
for  the  moral,  intellectual  and  spiritual  develop- 
ment of  the  people." 

The  very  next  day  there  was  quite  a  stir  among 
the  people  who  heard  the  sermon.  Many  had 
longed  for  a  fearless  minister  in  that  city  which 
seemed  to  have  been  enslaved  to  the  drink  habit. 
But  it  never  occurred  to  him  that  his  congregation 
would  be  affected  in  the  least  until  a  committee 
waited  upon  him  the  following  Monday  evening 
and  advised  him  to  be  a  little  more  moderate  in  his 
denunciation  of  certain  evils.  He  had  insulted  one 
of  the  trustees  who  stayed  about  "three  sheets  in 
the  wind"  most  all  of  his  time  and  he  swore  that 
he  would  never  foot  the  church  again. 


58  RAYMOND 

Only  one  year  had  passed  under  his  adminis- 
tration, but  it  was  the  most  prosperous  year  in  the 
history  of  the  church.  Over  one  hundred  mem- 
bers had  been  added,  some  three  thousand  dollars 
raised  and  the  congregation  had  greatly  increased. 
The  church  now  raised  his  salary  which  was  a  sur- 
prise to  him.  It  had  been  the  hardest  year's  work 
of  his  life  but  not  without  results. 

There  was  a  feeling  pretty  generally  among 
the  people  that  the  pastor  ought  to  occupy  the  par- 
sonage where  each  member  would  be  free  in  call- 
ing upon  him.  There  were  many  girls  in  the 
church  well  qualified  to  care  for  his  home.  The 
women  began  at  once  to  select  him  a  suitable  com- 
panion and  many  of  the  girls  were  thinking,  "I 
ought  to  be  the  fortunate  one".  Yet  he  had  not 
been  asleep  over  this  all  important  matter  upon 
which  his  future  career  so  largely  depended.  He 
committed  his  secret  to  the  deacon  board  and  to 
the  family  with  whom  he  boarded.  He  had  not 
only  corresponded  regularly  with  one  of  his  class- 
mates, but  had  paid  her  two  visits  that  year  and 
had  secured  the  consent  of  her  parents.  The  whole 
secret  was  broken  one  Sunday  morning  when  the 
church  clerk  read  the  notice,  then  said:  "I  hold  in 
my  hand  an  invitation  to  the  members  and  friends 
of  this  church".  Silence  prevailed  and  if  the  church 
floor  had  not  been  carpeted  one  might  have  heard 
the  sound  made  by  a  falling  pen.  It  proved  to  be 
an  invitation  to  the  wedding  of  their  pastor  and 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  59 

Miss  Maude  who  lived  in  Chesterfield  one  hundred 
and  thirty-seven  miles  from  Yorkville.  There 
were  many  sad  hearts,  but  none  dare  show  signs 
of  their  regret. 

There  was  much  talk  about  the  coming:  bride 
who  was  to  become  mistress  of  the  parsonage.  It 
was  thought  that  she  would  not  be  able  to  win  the 
affections  of  the  people,  as  she  was  a  stranger  the 
people  would  be  inclined  to  keep  a  distance.  He 
arrived  in  the  city  at  night  accompanied  by  a 
party  of  ten,  three  of  whom  were  his  members. 
Despite  the  lateness  of  the  hour  there  were  scores 
waiting  at  the  depot  and  everyone  tried  to  'catch 
a  glimpse  of  the  bride,  who  was  dressed  in  a 
dark  blue  suit  matched  by  a  hat  that  partly  dis- 
closed the  light  from  her  blushing  face.  They 
were  hurried  to  the  parsonage  where  another 
crowd  awaited  to  greet  them.  There  the  table  was 
laden  with  dainties  but  their  joy  was  full  and  their 
appetites  could  not  be  excited. 

After  the  grand  reception  was  over  the  next 
night,  the  pastor  settled  down  to  work.  The  madam 
soon  adapted  herself  to  the  home  and  her  pious 
disposition  and  her  affectionate  manner  won  for  her 
the  highest  respect  of  the  members,  and  they  soon 
felt  that  she  was  one  of  them.  Raymond  was  never- 
theless conscious  that  some  of  the  people  did  not 
care  for  him  as  they  had  hitherto  appeared.  He 
knew  that  he  would  no  longer  receive  presents, 
which  would  naturally  make  him  feel  obligated  to 


60  RAYMOND 

different  ones.  He  felt  free  to  visit  the  members 
as  never  before.  He  could  now  bend  all  of  his 
energy  in  developing  the  work,  and  that,  too,  with- 
out shunning  homes  or  persons  because  of  misun- 
derstanding. He  spent  four  and  one-half  years 
with  this  people  but  they  were  not  years  of  ease. 
They  were  filled  with  anxiety  for  the  fullest  Christ- 
life  for  both  pastor  and  people.  He  now  enters  in- 
to their  sorrows  and  comforts  alike.  He  always 
felt  that  "woe  is  me"  if  the  people  among  whom 
and  for  whom  he  served  are  not  continually  grow- 
ing more  and  more  like  their  Master.  Being  over 
anxious  to  bring  the  people  up  in  a  few  years  to 
that  standard  to  which  individuals  must  grow,  and 
not  attain  by  bounds,  he  labored  the  more  zeal- 
ously. He  was  not  able  to  win  the  four  deacons 
who  resigned  their  much  loved  positions.  They 
were  thorns  in  his  flesh  always  presenting  the  hand 
of  Esau  in  the  peculiar  upheavals  of  the  church, 
but  his  ears  never  misunderstood  the  voice  of  Ja- 
cob. It  was  obvious  to  him  that  few  pastors  ever 
lead  all  of  their  people.  He  saw  that  many  had 
drifted  with  the  crowd  and  their  hearts  were  far 
from  the  cause. 

He  saw  many  of  his  mistakes  after  five  years 
yet  he  was  proud  of  the  stand  he  always  took  for 
the  right.  He  was  honored  by  his  young  people 
even  though  he  had  rendered  himself,  at  times,  of- 
fensive by  attacking  their  card  playing  and  danc- 
ing, etc.  But  they  were  enforced  to  endorse  his 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  61 

stand  after  a  malicious  murder  of  two  of  the  prom- 
inent young-  men  of  the  church  at  a  private  dance 
in  the  home  of  one  of  the  upper  tens.  The  disap- 
pearance in  one  year  of  five  young-  women,  two  of 
whom  were  members  of  the  choir,  and  the  others 
were  prominently  connected  with  the  auxiliaries  of 
the  church,  whose  whereabouts  remained  a  mystery 
to  everybody  save  their  respective  families.  With 
all  the  criticism  against  his  preaching-  and  adminis- 
tration no  one  entertained  the  slightest  doubt  of 
his  moral  integrity.  He  had  never  backed  down 
one  iota  from  any  principal  if  he  believed  it  to  be 
right,  however  strong  the  objection. 


CHAPTER  X. 

AXSNVEKIXC    THE    CALL    FROM    OVER    THE    SEA. 

FULLY  five  years  are  necessary  to  plant  a  pastor 
with  a  people,  so  that  they  may  have  that 
cemented  love  that  is  so- essential  for  their  largest 
usefulness.  To  sever  these  ties,  when  bound  by 
that  chord,  each  thread  of  which  is  made  of  genuine 
affection  is  unwise;  yet  no  man  looketh  on  the  out- 
ward appearance.  A  voice  from  over  the  sea  had 
been  ringing  in  the  ears  of  Raymond  for  many  a 
year.  The  more  he  pondered  and  prayed  over  the 
seeming  call,  the  clearer  it-  pointed  to  him.  He 
mustered  up  enough  courage,  one  night  after  a  suc- 
cessful service,  to  break  the  news  to  his  wife.  It 
was  such  a  shock  to  her  that  it  robbed  her  of  a 
whole  night's  sleep. 

By  times  the  next  morning  she  had  breakfast 
prepared  and  her  house  in  order.  Then  they  drew 
their  chairs  up  to  a  large  center  table  in  his  study, 
and  for  two  hours  or  more  discussed  this  antici- 
pated new  field.  She  called  to  his  mind  the  possi- 
bilities that  lay  before  him,  in  this,  his  nativity. 
He  was  now  pastoring  the  leading  church  of  his 
state  and  his  success  had  been  far  beyond  all  ex- 
pectations. As  a  pulpit  orator  he  was  recognized 
as  the  best  among  his  comrades.  Honors  had  been 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  63 

offered  him  which  he  declined  and  as  it  was  ob- 
vious to  her  in  a  few  years  he  would  be  a  national 
character. 

These  unexpected  words  of  praise  from  his 
wife  were  astonishing-  to  him.  Never  before  did 
he  conceive  that  she  entertained  such  a  hope  of 
him  ascending-  these  lofty  heights  based  upon  his 
ability  and  the  unparralled  success  already  at- 
tained. More  than  once  he  decided  that  in  her  es- 
timation he  was  hardly  an  ordinary  pastor,  and 
less  an  impressive  and  persuasive  preacher.  Hav- 
ing now  learned  her  estimation  of  him,  he  was 
more  determined  to  become  a  foreign  missionary. 
He  assured  her  that  his  life's  work  anywhere,  save 
on  the  foreign  field,  would  be  a  failure.  Therefore 
he  decided  to  go  at  any  cost.  Believing  it  to  be  a 
call  of  the  Lord,  she  affirmed  that  it  was  better  to 
obey  God  than  man.  "For,"  said  she,  "whither 
thou  goeth  I  will  go,  and  whither  thou  lodgeth  I 
will  lodge,  where  thou  dieth  will  I  die,  and  there 
will  I  be  buried." 

He  was  bound  to  respect  every  duty  that  he 
owed  the  church,  whereupon  he  made  known  the 
facts  in  a  joint  meeting  of  the  deacons  and  trustees, 
numbering  twenty-five,  on  the  night  of  the  same  day 
that  his  wife  decided  to  cast  her  lot  with  him. 
When  he  had  discussed  at  length  and  in  detail  the 
accomplishment  of  Xew  Hope  under  his  adminis- 
tration, and  had  thanked  them  individually  for  their 
loyal  support,  without  which  success  would  have 


64  RAYMOND 

lagged,  then  he  made  known  his  call  to  the  foreign 
field  and  his  decision  to  go.  The  whole  board  was 
smitten  with  awe  on  receiving  this  startling  state- 
ment. The  meeting  was  prolonged  until  one  o'clock* 
then  adjourned  to  meet  the  next  night  at  eight 
o'clock.  Promptly  at  the  designated  hour  each 
man  was  in  his  place.  They  used  every  possible 
argument  in  persuading  their  pastor  to  remain,  all 
of  which  was  useless.  Three  of  the  members  be- 
came so  disgusted  at  the  idea  of  his  giving  up  their 
church,  that  they  excused  themselves  before  the 
meeting  closed. 

Now  as  the  King's  business  demanded  haste, 
it  was  agreed  that  he  might  make  known  his  inten- 
tions to  the  church  on  Sunday,  for  not  a  single 
member  of  that  board  would  be  the  first  to  make 
known  his  purpose.  The  favorable  weather  that 
Sunday  seemed  to  have  sanctioned  the  purpose  of 
the  pastor.  The  church  was  taxed  for  seating  ca- 
pacity when  he  announced  his  text  from  Matt.  24: 
14,  then  read:  "And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom 
shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  to 
all  nations  and  then  shall  the  end  come."  There 
was  a  quivering  in  his  voice  recognized  by  many. 
As  he  spoke  he  appeared  to  have  been  absorbed  in 
his  text  as  never  before.  The  people  entered  into 
sympathy  with  him  for  the  heathens  and  felt  that 
some  one  ought  to  haste  away  bearing  the  story  of 
the  cross.  For  fully  one  hour  he  eloquently  spoke 
holding  his  audience  spellbound.  When  he  had 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  65 

exhausted  his  prepared  discourse,  he  drew  from  his 
inside  coat  pocket  another  paper  and  read:  To  the 
Beloved  Saints  of  New  Hope  Baptist  Church:  I 
feel  called  upon  this  morning  to  make  public  this 
declaration  which  has  been  a  weighty  burden  upon 
me  for  many  years,  to  you  I  owe  a  debt  of  grati- 
tude and  love  that  time  will  never  permit  me  to 
pay.  Here  my  experience  has  come  by  toils,  and 
they  have  been  toils  laden  with  bitters  and  sweets. 
But  this  experience  doubtless  was  educating  me  for 
a  nobler  service,  I  have  learned  to  love  each  of 
you,  and  ^because  of  this  fact  I  loath  to  tell  you 
that  the  time  has  come  when  I  must  give  back  to 
you  the  cares  and  responsibilities  of  this  great  flock! 
But  listen,  do  you  not  hear  ringing  in  your  own 
ears  the  cry  of  teeming  millions  as  it  comes,  float- 
ing over  the  blue  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  'Give  us 
the  light.'  I  have  answered  the  call.  I  hereby 
tender  you  my  resignation  as  pastor,  not  as  a  mat- 
ter of  choice,  but  as  one  of  duty.  The  rest  of  my 
days  shall  be  spent  among  that  people,  many  of 
whom  do  not  know  their  left  hand  from  their  right. 
I  beg,  therefore,  that  this  resignation  take  effect  six 
months  from  today. 

All  of  which  I  humbly  submit. 

RAYMOND  ALSTON. 

Silence  prevailed  for  a  short  while,  only  broken 
in  by  sobs  here  and  there  among  the  people  until 
Deacon  Hopkins  arose  and  said,  "Let  us  pray". 


66  RAYMOND 

Once  in  the  history  of  this  church  did  everybody 
bow  in  prayer.  Both  old  and  young  were  plead- 
ing with  Jehovah,  and  what  would  impress  one 
most,  there  were  those  who  were  recognized  as  vile 
sinners  whispering  a  petition  while  hot  tears  kissed 
each  other  under  their  chins.  When  the  prayer 
was  over,  Raymond  beckoned  to  the  audience  who 
rose  upon  their  feet  while  he  with  uplifted  hands 
pronounced  the  benediction  and  walked  back  into 
his  study. 

The  secretary  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board 
issued  a  special  call  meeting  of  the  board  immedi- 
ately after  receiving  Raymond's  letter  offering  his 
services  to  the  board.  The  board  accepted  his  ser- 
vices and  his  commission  was  forwarded  at  once. 
It  was  announced,  therefore,  through  the  papers 
that  he  would  sail  December  15. 

Yorkville  is  located  on  one  of  the  largest  riv- 
ers in  the  South.  A  city  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand  inhabitants  had  felt  the  influence  of  one 
unselfish  life.  His  departure  on  Thursday,  Decem- 
ber 15,  had  given  rise  to  an  interesting  subject  in 
the  school,  around  the  table  and  desk  in  almost  ev- 
ery home  and  business  place.  Darkness  had 
scarcely  given  place  to  the  light  of  the  sun,  which 
appeared  to  be  rising  out  of  the  river  that  morning, 
before  the  tramp  of  feet  were  heard  upon  the  pave- 
ment moving  toward  the  wharf.  Many  were  too 
full  of  anxiety  to  wait  their  breakfast.  At  nine 
o'clock  several  business  places  were  closed.  The 


HOW  A  BOY  SUCCEEDED  67 

school  bells  rang  but  the  teachers  failed  to  appear, 
and  not  the  voice  of  a  child  was  heard  upon  the 
--campus.  Women  left  their  household  duties  and 
men  by  hundreds  did  not  report  on  duty.  The 
hacks  were  rushing  vainly  to  accommodate  their 
customers  and  the  street  cars  were  overcrowded. 
The  whole  wharf  was  thronged  and  for  a  mile  the 
people  were  strewn  along  the  banks  of  the  river. 

It  is  nine-thirty  o'clock  for  the  tug  boat  is  ap- 
proaching from  the  opposite  side  in  response  to  the 
signal.  Xow  the  flags  are  unfurled.  Someone 
said:  "There  is  the  man  that  has  attracted  so  much 
attention.  How  they  shake  his  hand  and  weep  as 
he  pushes  onward  towards  the  boat."  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  his  wife  and  three-year  old  son.  The 
sound  of  the  gong  meant  ten  minutes  more.  The 
rest  of  the  time  was  almost  spent  in  silence.  At 
the  sound  of  a  shrill  whistle  from  Old  Venice  that 
was  soon  to  plough  the  great  Atlantic,  the  ropes 
were  loosed  and  the  captain  gave  orders  to  launch 
out.  They  floated  on  so  gently  that  one  could 
only  tell  that  they  were  moving  by  the  space  that 
became  wider  between  them  and  the  boat.  Thous- 
ands of  handkerchiefs  floated  in  the  breeze  as  the 
boat  moved  farther  and  farther  away.  Then  the 
little  tug  loosed  her  hold  from  Venice  and  gave  a 
farewrell  signal  and  returned.  As  the  large  vessel 
glided  onward  she  became  smaller  moment  by  mo- 
ment until  the  handkerchiefs  were  lost  from  view. 


68  RAYMOND 

Alas!  the  large  vessel  disappears  in  the  distant  blue 
Here  upon  the  banks  of  the  river  the  crowd  is  left 
impatiently  waiting  the  news  of  his  landing  upon 
Africa's  shores. 


END  VIEW  OF  UOC. 


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